


harmonia

by thetr1ckster



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Friends to Lovers, However Kasumi is briefly mentioned and they do go to the Jazz Club in Kichijoji, M/M, Mutual Pining, No P5R spoilers, Rating May Change, Slow Build, Slow Burn, The other members of the Phantom Thieves are present but this is definitely a Shuake fic, multi-chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24616162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetr1ckster/pseuds/thetr1ckster
Summary: Instead of a group of vigilantes, the Phantom Thieves are a rock band and there's something going on between the lead singer and their new bassist.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 24
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

Using the hood of his sweatshirt to shield his curly, dark hair from the torrential downpour as much as possible, Akira rushed under the awning of his destination. He looked back out, grimacing at the rain, which had been falling every single day for the past week.

He picked a hell of a day to look for a new bassist for the band he was in.

If the meteorologist hadn’t predicted yet another week of rain and the Phantom Thieves’ next gig wasn’t fast approaching, he probably would have gone out on a different day. But given the circumstances, he had no choice but to trek it to Kichijoji in the middle of a rainstorm.

Swiping the water off the shoulders of his leather jacket, he looked at the sign of the jazz club. ‘ _Welcome to_ _Jazz Jin! 3,000 yen per person.’_ There were no performances scheduled for that night.

 _Great_. Of course, the one night he decided to get off his ass and pay the club a visit, and there were most likely no musicians inside. He let out a sigh, his posture slumping.

Well, he made it all the way there, there was no use leaving now. He might as well buy himself a drink.

He entered the building, remembering to wipe the bottoms of his wet shoes on the welcome mat below him. He bowed politely at the main behind the bar, leaving 3,000 yen on the counter in front of him, before taking a seat at one of the tables, giving himself a nice view of the empty stage.

Closing his eyes, Akira listened to the smooth jazz that played over the speaker.

***

“ _I don’t understand why_ I _have to go look for a new member._ Yusuke’s _the one who doesn’t want to be on bass anymore. Why can’t_ he _go look for his replacement?_ ”

“ _Because it’s_ your _band._ ”

“ _It’s_ our _band_.”

“ _Yes, but_ you’re _the face of it_.”

***

He was knocked out of his reverie by an unfamiliar voice, “Can I get you anything?”

Opening his eyes, he looked at the bartender before pulling out his wallet to reveal his fake ID, “Rum and cola, please.”

The man tilted his sunglasses down and squinted at the ID for a long time before finally shrugging, “Coming right up.”

With a smile, Akira tucked his wallet away and leaned back in his chair, listening to the music once more as the man left to prepare his drink. Beyond the jazz music and the clinking glass from behind the bar, Akira also heard the door to the club open and shut, the sound of heavy rain pelting loudly against the pavement outside filling the club for just a moment.

“Long time no see, Akechi! Your usual?” The bartender greeted happily.

“Nice to see you as well, Muhen! And yes, please. Thank you,” A pleasant male voice responded.

“You got it.” His words were followed by even more clinking.

Akira heard footsteps coming closer behind him before fading away once more, then a chair behind him creaking as someone pulled it out and took a seat.

“Here you are, sir,” The bartender announced, setting Akira’s drink down on the table in front of him. Akira opened his eyes and took the drink in his hands.

“Thank you.”

The man smiled before walking away to deliver the other drink in his hand to one of the tables behind him. Akira’s eyes didn’t follow him, he only listened, sipping at his drink as he did so, “Haven’t seen you in a while. I was beginning to think you had found a new hangout.”

Akira heard the same voice from earlier emit a warm giggle, “My apologies. I’ve been quite busy studying for my final exams.”

“More power to you. College was never really my style. I ended up dropping out after one semester. Music was more my speed, y’know?”

“It looks to me like you’ve done rather well for yourself considering.”

“Thank you. If I get to hear some good tunes and serve kind regulars like you, I can’t say I have regrets.”

“That makes me very happy to hear,” Akira could hear the man smiling.

“Well, I’ll leave you to your drink. If you need anything, give me a holler. And as always, make yourself at home.”

“Thank you so much!”

After a few more footsteps, the only sound left was jazz.

Akira looked around. Sure, the place was nice, but it didn’t seem like the kind of place a college kid would want to spend their free time at. Yet again, _he_ was a college-aged person and _he_ was there. But _he_ was here with a plan, not just to hang around and pass the time.

He inspected the stage. It was quaint. It had a grand piano, a microphone, a small brass section, and even a double bass. It was a nice set-up, quite different from the set up the Phantom Thieves had put together at their studio but still pretty good.

A sigh escaped through his lips. Maybe he came to the wrong place. Jazz and rock n’ roll were two entirely different genres. Even if there _were_ musicians present, they probably wouldn’t have any interest in joining his band.

Clenching his eyes shut and rubbing his temples, he cursed himself. He knew he and the Phantom Thieves shouldn’t have spent their last paycheck on a big buffet. If they still had that money, they could have at least put an ad out in the paper.

Resting his head on the table, he reevaluated his options to no avail. He didn’t even hear the footsteps walking past him as he let out a more exasperated sigh.

But he did hear someone begin hesitantly plucking at the strings of the double bass. He sat up so fast, it nearly gave him whiplash. He looked behind him to find the table empty then back at the stage to see who was playing. It was that college kid… What was his name? Akechi?

Akira watched him pull at the strings, trying his best to play along with the song on the speakers. He… wasn’t half bad. If he had a bit more confidence and practice, he could probably follow along to a T.

Akechi smiled to himself as he played the instrument. He seemed so at-peace. It was almost as if there were a spotlight on him, making it seem as though he were the only person in the world. It was the way Akira looked whenever he performed in front of a crowd, completely in his element.

Looking him up and down, Akira inspected his outfit. Sure, he was musically-inclined but was he even the rock n’ roll type? He was wearing a sweater vest… in the summer. He looked like he was the definition of squeaky-clean.

He forcefully shook his head. He was looking for a musician and he found one. Who cared what he looked like?

When the song wrapped, Akechi’s smile widened. Akira rose to his feet and ran his fingers through his hair a few times before approaching the other man on stage, applauding him.

“You’re really good.”

Akechi startled a little before tucking a stray hair behind his ear, blushing, “It’s not much. I was just… having a little fun.”

“It takes talent to play an instrument as well as you can. I was born with shaky hands, so I just stick to singing.”

“You sing?”

A nod, “I’m actually in a band. You may have heard of us. We call ourselves the Phantom Thieves.”

Akechi scrunched his nose, looking up, thinking, “I don’t believe I’m familiar…”

“We’re a rock n’ roll band. We’re still up-and-coming so we pretty much just perform small gigs at local bars, pubs, and concert halls.”

“Oh, well, I wish you and your band the best of luck,” he smiled politely with a bow. He was about to walk off the stage before Akira held up a finger.

“We— We’re actually looking for a new bassist at the moment.”

“Your last bassist left?”

“I wouldn’t say he left, he just doesn’t think the bass guitar is very… beautiful.”

“…Beautiful?”

“Yusuke’s a strange one but we still love him, and we’ll do what we can to make him feel comfortable, even if it means finding a new bandmate.”

“Ah… I see.”

“And I was thinking… that since you seem to know what you’re doing with that,” Akira pointed to the double bass Akechi had previously been playing, “maybe you’d be interested in joining us…?”

Akechi laughed, scratching at his arm, “I’m flattered, truly I am, but I must decline your offer.”

Akira deflated, the hope in his eyes fleeing, “Oh…”

“My apologies. I just don’t think I’m the right fit for a rock band. I find their lifestyles to be rather… reckless and I’m not really looking to complicate things right now.”

Holding up his hands, Akira assured him, “N-No, wait. You’ve got it all wrong. We aren’t like that at all. Trust me, we aren’t what you see in all those documentaries about the tragic downfalls of all those famous rock-stars.”

“I see. I apologize for the assumption, but my answer still stands. Besides, I’m a full-time university student. I can’t be worrying about keeping my nose clean.”

Akira twirled the strands of hair in front of his face between his fingers, “I’m not recruiting you to join the mafia here. Besides, summer break’s coming up, right? So, you’ll have plenty of free-time.”

Akechi cupped his chin pensively, “I suppose that _is_ true… I’m still not sure though.”

He gestured back to his table, “Have a drink with me and we can talk more about it, yeah?”

The other man smirked at the offer, “Trying to loosen me up with alcohol, are you?”

“N… No! That wasn’t my intention—”

“Relax. It was only a joke. A drink sounds lovely, thank you.”

With a nod, they smiled at each other before continuing to Akira’s table, Akechi retrieving his drink from his table. They each took a seat across from each other.

“I don’t believe you’ve given me your name yet.”

“Oh, it’s Akira. Akira Kurusu,” He held out a hand.

“My name is Goro Akechi,” He responded, grabbing Akira’s right hand with his left.

“Nice to meet you, Akechi,” They shook hands briefly before turning to their drinks, each taking a sip, “In hindsight, I probably should have properly introduced myself _before_ asking you to join our band.”

“No need to worry. I’m not sure if knowing your name would have changed my answer.”

“I didn’t think it would but it’s a formality.”

Akira finished his drink, flagging down the bartender for another round.

“What is it you’re drinking?” Akechi asked.

“Rum and cola.”

Akechi squinted at him, “You aren’t old enough to drink.”

Akira stiffened up, looking around to make sure no one else heard that. He turned back to him, whispering incredulously, “ _And how do_ you _know that?!_ ”

“So, you don’t deny it. There’s no way you’re older than me, and I just turned 20 this month.”

“How can you tell the difference? We’re only one year apart.”

“I can just feel it,” Akira rolled his eyes at the statement, whatever it meant, “What was that you were saying about rock-stars not living not living a reckless lifestyle?” Akechi teased.

“Hey, me drinking alcohol a few months shy of my 20th birthday does not make me reckless. It’s not like I’m _completely_ irresponsible. I don’t plan on driving after this.”

“I suppose that is true,” Akechi sipped at his own drink, “You know you are quite lucky I’m only _studying_ criminal justice and I can’t actually punish you for your crimes.”

Akira mimicked wiping sweat from his brow, causing Akechi to laugh, “So, you’re a criminal justice major, huh?”

“With a minor in anthropology, yes.”

“What, so you want to be a cop?”

“Not necessarily. I want to be a detective. I wish to seek the truth, aid in the justice of the public. In a broad sense, I want to help people.”

“You sound like a superhero.”

“Well, I personally wouldn’t describe it as cartoonishly as that, but I suppose if you want to view my ideology as such…”

“Good for you. I think that’s awesome that you have a plan.”

“And what about you? Is your band not part of your plan?”

“Our band exists because some of us didn’t have plans. I’ve always been interested in music, even tried going to college for it, but I dropped out when it started to feel too much like an assignment. It started to feel like I was writing songs for a grade and not myself. It sucked the fun right out of it. I was afraid if I stuck with it, I would end up not liking music anymore.”

Akechi nodded understandingly, quietly accepting the refills of their drinks from the bartender, “College isn’t for everyone, that I can say. There are many days when I find great difficulty in getting up for my morning lectures.”

Akira sipped at his drink, “Not a morning person, eh?”

“Not at all. But you know what they say… _carpe diem_.”

“And what is that _diem_ like for you most days?”

“Most days, it’s just classes, eating, more studying, exercise, and in my free-time, I like to come here.”

“How long have you liked music?”

Akechi gazed longingly at the stage, “All my life, I guess. Growing up, my mother wasn’t around very much when she was still alive. Being the only one raising me, she worked a lot, often leaving me home alone. So, I found peace in her vinyl collection. With music, it felt like I wasn’t alone in the house.”

Akira wasn’t sure how to react. He felt sorry for his mother’s emotional distance and her eventual death. But he also felt happy that he was able to find solace in the same thing he did. He just nodded understandingly, taking a sip of his drink.

“What about instruments? You seemed pretty comfortable with that bass over there.”

“Oh, that? Believe it or not, I don’t have any prior experience when it comes to instruments. The first time I ever touched an instrument was here,” He gestured to the stage, “When I first started visiting this club, I was fascinated by the musicians here. I would watch them intently, awe-struck by how such beautiful sounds could come from a person’s fingertips. Then, one day, when it wasn’t busy, I just started playing around with the instruments when no one else was using them. And the rest is history, I suppose.”

“So, you’re gifted.”

“Oh, please… I wouldn’t go that far. I’m just a visual learner.”

“Call it what you will but you shouldn’t let all that talent go to waste.”

Akechi rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Here we go…”

“No, I’m serious!” Akira laughed alongside him, “You have something special and you should show people that. Sure, you fiddle around with the instruments here from time to time but imagine sitting in a studio, with other talented people, practicing the same songs together, just getting better and better with every run-through.”

“Hm…” Akechi looked at him, amused, but Akira continued.

“Imagine performing in front of an audience, hearing them all cheer for you because they all know and love the song that you’ve been practicing non-stop. Imagine how it feels to wrap up a gig: The satisfaction, the pride, the paycheck. Trust me, Akechi, you’d be a perfect member of the Phantom Thieves.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I’m really not.”

Akechi laughed again, finishing off his drink, “I don’t know, Kurusu…”

“What can I do to help you figure it out?”

He thought for a moment before holding up his second empty glass, “You could get me another drink.”

***

An hour later and they were both sitting side-by-side, red in the face, laughing over a story Akira was telling Akechi, about a time their drummer desperately tried to finish a song they were performing live with one drumstick.

“What a disaster! I can’t even imagine being out in the audience,” Akechi wiped away a tear from his eye.

“We got quite a few looks from the audience but we had fun with it, like we always do.”

“Sounds to me like your friend Sakamoto’s got spirit.”

“Yeah, a little too _much_ spirit sometimes…” Akechi broke into another fit of laughter. He covered his face in embarrassment when he accidentally snorted.

Akira couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t explain why but there was something about the way Akechi’s eyes crinkled and his teeth bared when he laughed that made him wish he had an endless supply of jokes and funny stories on hand.

But unfortunately, Akechi’s laugh eventually faded and with a sigh, he sat up straight, composing himself as much as he could being as tipsy as he was. Akira furrowed his brows at the body language, knowing what was coming next.

“You’re leaving…?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I have a bit more studying to do before I call it a night.”

“Oh…”

“But it was a pleasure talking with you, Kurusu,” He rose from his seat. Akira followed, reaching out a hand.

“Wait!” Akechi turned to him, tilting his head to the side, “When can I see you again?”

Akechi cupped his chin once more, thinking, “How about your next rehearsal?”

Akira’s face lit up, “You mean it? You’ll join our band?!”

“Now, don’t go putting words in my mouth. I would just like to sit in on your rehearsal, if that’s fine with you.”

“Of course, it is,” He looked around frantically, eyes landing on a pen that was lying on a lone music stand on stage. He grabbed it before offering his hand to Akechi. Hesitantly, Akechi reached out his hand to him as well. He wasn’t expecting Akira to turn it over and begin writing on his skin, “Here’s the address of our studio and here’s when our next rehearsal is.”

Akechi bit his lip as Akira scribbled down details on his hand. When he was done, he looked at the scrawling on his skin. It was punctuated with a goofy smiley face. Akechi smiled right back at it.

“I’ll see you then.”

“I’ll let everyone know you’re coming.”

“Sounds good. Goodnight, Kurusu.”

“Goodnight, Akechi. Stay safe.”

“I will,” And just like that, he was gone, exiting the Jazz Club and leaving Akira behind to smile to himself.

With a triumphant sigh, he sat back down and pulled out his phone, immediately opening his most recent group-chat. Fingers moving quickly across the keyboard, he typed out a quick message to his bandmates.

***

 **Akira (9:02 PM):** New bassist: Acquired.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used in this chapter:  
> "Business Man" by Mother Mother  
> "Sweater Weather" by The Neighborhood  
> "Do It All The Time" by I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Sitting on a stool by the window of their studio (which was actually just a one-bedroom apartment that each member of the band chipped in money to rent out for their rehearsals), Akira bounced his leg up and down, forehead resting on the glass pane as he watched the cars go by. He chewed on his bottom lip before he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

“Akira, I don’t mean to sound pushy, but I’d like to get some actual rehearsing in before I have to leave.”

He turned toward the voice, “I’m sorry, Makoto. He should be here any minute now, I promise.”

The guitarist rolled her eyes, flipping her guitar onto her back and crossing her arms in front of her, “We’ve been waiting for him for the past half hour. Had I had known we were going to be doing nothing for this long, I would have brought my textbook here _with_ me and studied a bit.”

“I know, I just—”

“She’s got a point, dude,” Ryuji piped up from behind his drum-set, scratching his head with one of his drumsticks, “Normally, I’d be fine with doing nothin’ but with a gig coming up in a few weeks, I wanna practice as much as we can so we can kick some ass when the time comes.”

Their manager Haru looked up from her phone and held up her hands, “Now, now… Settle down, everyone. We all sounded splendid during our last rehearsal, remember? So, I don’t think we’ll have anything to worry about during our next performance.”

Ann looked up from the notepad that she was jotting down lyrics in, “Besides, Makoto, what have you got to worry about studying for? Aren’t you the top of your class?”

“There’s no such thing as being over-prepared, Ann,” Makoto responded.

“Did you even get this guy’s number, Akira?” Futaba piped up from the beanbag chair on the floor, not looking up from her laptop, which displayed the band’s social media page.

Akira gulped, “No… But I wrote down our address and told him when this rehearsal was!”

“With your chicken-scratch handwriting, the poor soul probably couldn’t even read it,” Yusuke quipped humorously, shading something in his sketchpad with the tip of his finger.

Raking his mind for an excuse, he felt a furry sensation against his ankle. Akira reached down and gave his cat a few head-scratches for the silent encouragement. _Thanks, Morgana_.

“I’m sorry, guys… I didn’t mean to waste anyone’s time,” He rose from his seat, “Whether he’s coming or not, I shouldn’t hold you guys up anymore. Let’s try to get a few songs in—”

A knock sounded at the door.

Akira jolted, his previous sorrowful demeanor suddenly a distant memory, “He’s here!” He strode eagerly toward the door, checking his hair in the broken mirror on the wall before placing his hand on the knob. With a deep breath, he opened it and there he was, “You made it!”

“Sorry, I’m late. I had quite a bit of trouble finding the place. I hope I didn’t make you all wait long…”

“No, no, don’t worry. We just got here,” Akira lied. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, he led him inside. He turned to the rest of the band, “Guys, this is Goro Akechi, the one I was telling you about. Akechi, this is the Phantom Thieves.”

“It’s very nice to meet all of you,” Akechi greeted the band with a nervous wave. Akira could feel just how tense he was just by how tight his shoulder was in his hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze, quietly communicating his warm welcome. He then smiled at the rest of the band with a nod.

Haru was the first to approach the two, holding her hand out for Akechi to take, shaking it, “Nice to meet you, Akechi. My name is Haru Okumura. I guess you could say I’m the band’s manager.”

“Nice to meet you too, Okumura,” Akechi bowed his head.

She then began pointing to each member in the room, “You obviously already know Akira, our lead singer and co-songwriter. But over there on the red beanbag chair is Ann Takamaki, our lead lyricist. Then, on the black beanbag chair next to her is our publicist, so to speak, Futaba Sakura. She takes care of our social networking online.”

Akechi waved to the two girls as Haru continued her introductions, “On drums over there is Ryuji Sakamoto. Our lovely guitarist is Makoto Niijima. Our current bassist, Yusuke Kitagawa... He also designed our logo, which you can see on the wall right there.”

She pointed to a banner on the farthest wall. It looked like a black and red top-hat on top of a mask with a flaming eye.

Akira left Goro’s side for just a moment as he picked up a black and white cat with piercing blue eyes. He wore a yellow collar around his neck. “And this...” He planted a kiss to the cat’s head, “is Morgana. Mona, for short. He’s our mascot.”

Goro chuckled before reaching out to scratch behind Mona’s ears, “Nice to meet you too, Morgana.”

“And that’s everyone!” Haru clapped her hands together joyously.

Akechi glanced over at everyone in the room once more, “Again, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. Kurusu told me all about you guys and I’m very excited to hear you all play.”

Akira set Morgana back down on the floor before leaning in closer to Akechi, whispering into his ear, “No need to be so formal. We’re all friends here.”

“Practically family!” Ryuji shouted.

“My apologies,” He looked around, “Where should I…?”

“If you’d like, you can take a seat on the couch right there while we run through a song or two, is that alright?”

Goro smiled nervously before nodding and taking a seat. The couch offered him a perfect view of the band. The lyricist Ann got up from her beanbag chair and skipped over to him, triumphantly planting herself right next to him. Akechi tensed more, keeping his arms and legs close to his body, as though he were trying his best not to take up any unnecessary space.

“Best seat in the house!” She smiled happily.

He nodded in her direction before turning to watch the band as they prepared for their first number.

“How about ‘Business Man’?” Akira asked the band around him.

“Sounds good to me,” Ryuji affirmed, cracking his neck.

“Got it,” Makoto nodded, adjusting the body on her body.

“Yusuke, you mind staying on bass for a little bit longer?”

Yusuke placed down his sketchpad on the coffee table next to the wall, “If you insist.”

Once they all appeared to be ready, Akira began counting down with his fingers held high before finally pointing to Ryuji to cue him in for his entrance, which was shortly followed by Makoto’s riff, which featured a lovely vibrato that Goro rarely heard in the songs he often listened to. After a few seconds, Yusuke joined in on bass, creating a cacophony of sound that made Goro’s eyebrows raise.

With his eyes closed, Akira bobbed his head to the beat, getting a feel for the rhythm before leaning in closer to the microphone. Brows furrowed, he began singing, “ _They… They sleep in a coma, yeah, yeah, yeah. They… They speak in a code I don’t under-under-under-understand. They shake with a limp hand, ooh, ooh, ooh. They… They don’t shake like a rock band_.”

He gestured widely at the group around him, before continuing onto the chorus, which the other members joined in on with background harmonies, “ _Talkin’ ‘bout the business man… devil in a Sunday hat…_ ”

Akechi sat in awe. It was certainly not what he was expecting. Their style of music wasn’t as raucous as he predicted. It had a clean, concise rhythm as well as deep lyrics that seemed to criticize societal flaws.

He tapped his foot to the beat as the band continued to play, eventually reaching the song’s bridge. He watched as Akira looked past him distantly, almost as if he were looking out into a crowd of cheering fans, “ _Pretty little baby, pretty little monster, went to the good school, left with honors. Brand new tycoon, sitting with a harpoon, something of a lampoon, out of a cartoon of a baboon with a bond, a stock, a share in the moon_.”

They broke into a short instrumental solo, allowing Akira a moment to turn around and smile happily at the band that played around him, feeling the energy of the song with them. They each smiled back, all of them clearly enjoying themselves.

Returning to his mic, Akira continued singing the chorus one final time before the instruments faded one by one until all that was left was Makoto, who solemnly finished her last few notes.

When they wrapped, Ann erupted into uproarious applause and cheering. Akechi also applauded alongside her, except he chose to remain seated. Haru clapped politely, Futaba kicked her feet together as she continued scrolling through her laptop. Morgana’s tail flailed blissfully.

“Excellent work, everyone!” Haru complimented.

“That was effin’ tight!” Ryuji yelled, punctuating his sentence by crashing his drumsticks against his symbols. Makoto and Yusuke winced at the unpleasant volume.

Taking a quick sip of water, Akira’s attention remained on Akechi, “What did you think?”

“That was certainly unexpected.”

“Unexpected _good_ or…?”

“Of course, I can tell you all put your heart and soul into that performance.”

Ann stood, stepping in front of Akechi and flashed him a peace sign, “And you have _me_ to thank for the lyrics!”

Akira moved beside her, “So, do you think you’re ready to join us for a song?”

Akechi’s cheeks blushed, “Oh, I don’t know.”

“What’s there not to know? We can have fun with it.”

“I, for one, would love to hear what Akechi can do,” Makoto smiled gracefully.

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Haru added, stars in her eyes.

“Come in, dude. Let’s hear what you’ve got!” Ryuji exclaimed.

Gulping hard, Akechi looked to Akira, eyes pleading for help, “I’m not sure if I’m…”

He didn’t have to finish his sentence. Akira turned away and opened a folder they had sitting on a nearby barstool. Grabbing two packets from the folder, he tossed it aside before grabbing the stool and dragging it closer to Akechi. He took a seat across from him so that they were face to face, “Let’s start off slow then. I’m not asking you to hop on bass yet but maybe we can sing together first. You know how to read sheet-music, right?”

“Oh, uh…” Akechi took the packet from him and quickly skimmed through it, “A little bit. Uh…”

“Can you sing?”

“I don’t sing very often, no. And you already know I’m relatively new to instruments.”

“And I _also_ know you’re good when it comes to instruments as well,” Akechi blushed harder. Akira reached out and placed a hand on his knee, “Just try your best. I’ll be right here with you, if you get lost. You can come in on page two with some background vocals during the pre-chorus and if you’re feeling up to it, you can even join me on the chorus right… here.” He pointed to different parts in Akechi’s sheet-music as he spoke.

Goro looked around at the others, “Will they be accompanying us?”

“I figured we could do a little acapella, that way I can hear what you sound like, see if you’re backup-singer material.”

“You’re putting quite a lot of pressure on me on my first day.”

“Just pretend like they’re not even here,” Akira waved dismissively at the band. As if on cue, they all looked away, appearing distracted. Akechi held back a small laugh at the theatrics before looking back at Akira, “Just you and I, ready?”

With a nod, he took a deep breath, humming a few notes to loosen up his vocal cords, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

And with that, Akira sat up straight and began patting his hands on his thighs, demonstrating the tempo of the song for him before he began singing, “ _And all I am… is a man. I want the world… in my hands. I hate the beach… but I stand… in California with my toes in the sand_.”

As Akira sang, Akechi’s eyes remained locked on him. As for Akira, his eyes were closed as he focused on controlling his vibrato just so. Akechi couldn’t help but blush at the sheer amount of soul he exuded. He almost forgot to read ahead to anticipate his entrance.

He tore his eyes away from the other man and looked down at the sheet-music in his hands, following along with his fingers as Akira sang each word, “ _Touch my neck… And I’ll touch yours… You in those little high-waisted shorts, oh…_ ”

As the pre-chorus began, Akechi licked his lips, taking a deep breath and began to sing along, adding soft _Oh_ ’s in the background of Akira’s melody, “ _She knows what I think about… and what I think about… One love, two mouths, one love, one house, no shirt, no blouse, just us, you find out. Nothing that I wouldn’t wanna tell you about, no_ …”

When the chorus started, Akechi’s voice grew even quieter, unsure of the correct run of notes on some of the words. He took advantage of the moment to hear Akira demonstrate how it’s supposed to sound. He nodded to himself. He would just have to join in on the next chorus.

Scratching at the back of his neck, he glanced up and mouthed a silent apology. Akira just smiled at him and continued onto the next verse. The words he sang came a bit quicker than they did in the previous verse.

Akechi’s lips parted. Akira certainly was mesmerizing to watch perform. He made it look easy. As the verse progressed, Akira opened his eyes and they just looked at each other as he sang, “ _The goosebumps start to raise… the minute that my left hand meets your waist… and then I watch your face, put my finger on your tongue ‘cause you love the taste, yeah…_ ”

Hearing such provocative words sung out loud while making direct eye-contact with him made Akechi’s ears burn red. He forced himself to look down at his own sheet-music once more, not just to prepare himself for his next entrance but to hide his embarrassed face.

He joined in with more Oh’s on the pre-chorus like he did previously but instead of fading out when the chorus arrived, he joined in with a bit more confidence this time, “ _’Cause it’s too cold… for you here… And now, so let me hold… both your hands in… the holes of my sweater_.”

Although he was feeling a bit better about singing along with the chorus this time around, it didn’t stop Goro from stuttering in surprise when Akira stopped singing once the chorus repeated, leaving only Akechi to sing, “ _’C-Cause it’s too cold… for you here… And now, so let me hold… both your hands in… the holes of my sweater_ …”

He looked up at Akira with a glare as the bridge began, but Akira could only smile as he sang softly, “ _Woah… Woah… Woah_ …”

There was a brief pause. Akechi’s glare morphed into a shy smile as Akira continued to sing, “ _Woah… Woah… Woah_ …”

At this point, Goro completely forgot there was more people in the room besides the two of them, “ _Woah… Woah_ …”

Akechi didn’t even look to see if he was supposed to come in, he just joined him as Akira sang, “ _Woah… Woah… Woah_ …”

There was something about the way they looked at each other, sang to each other, voices blending in perfect harmony, that made Akechi’s chest hurt for some reason. He stopped singing to place a hand over his heart, breaking eye-contact for a moment.

Akira continued, “ _Woah… Woah… ‘Cause it’s too_ …”

Akechi shook his head, almost forgetting to come in, “… _cold… for you here… And now, so let me hold… both your hands in… the holes of my sweater_.” The chorus repeated once more as they sang together, Goro avoiding his eyes as much as possible until he turned the page of his sheet-music to find the paper blank.

Despite there being no more lyrics, Akira continued, “ _And it’s too cold… It’s too cold… The holes of my sweater_ …”

Their eyes met again, this time, Goro’s were wide with shock and awe as Akira wrapped up the song. As silence enveloped them, it felt like the world had stopped spinning. Akechi wondered if perhaps Akira could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

They were both startled when they heard a round of applause behind them. Just like that, they were both snapped back into reality.

Goro put his head back down as Akira shook his fingers through his hair until the clapping stopped.

“That was beautiful, you guys!” Makoto praised.

“Truly a magnificent blend of voices,” Yusuke chimed in emotionally.

“You really showed us, Akechi!” Futaba added, delightful surprise in her tone.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hand land on his knee once more. He followed it to see Akira grinning widely at him, “You’ve got a beautiful voice, songbird.”

“S-Songbird?” Goro wondered how much hotter his face could get.

“You have a gift vocally, all that’s left is to see if you can tackle the bass. Do you think you’re ready for it?”

Akechi swallowed, clearing his throat, “I can certainly try…”

And with that, Akira rose to his feet and offered his hand to him. Akechi stared at it for a moment before taking it, standing up alongside him. He joined them on the “stage” area. Yusuke handed him the bass, which he adjusted comfortably to his left side.

He played a few hesitant notes, getting a feel for the instrument as Akira set up a music stand with sheet-music on it, “Here, this one should be easy enough to start with,” He turned to the rest of the band, “We’re gonna do ‘Do It…,’ alright?”

“Mhm,” Makoto nodded.

“Got it,” Ryuji gave him a thumbs-up.

Akechi looked over the page. It… seemed easy enough. Lots of repetition. He could handle that without making an absolute fool out of himself… at least he hoped so. He grabbed ahold of the bass and began practicing his first riff a few times.

“Okay… D… x… x… 11… 13… 14\\...” He whispered to himself. He paused, unsure for a moment, “Then… G…? 16… 16… 15, 15, 15… 16…?”

He worked his fingers slowly over the strings and the fret markers, trying to work through the introductory notes. He tried it repeatedly until he got faster at it. He could feel the bands’ eyes on him. He glanced up at them briefly.

“S-Sorry…”

“Don’t apologize,” Akira smiled.

“Take your time, dude,” Ryuji chimed in.

He read over the verse very quickly. _Okay… I can do this…_ He reassured himself.

“I think I’m ready now.”

“Alright, songbird, your start,” Akira turned to Ryuji, “You mind giving him his tempo?”

And with a tap of his drumsticks together, the blonde did as he was asked. Akechi bobbed his head to the beat before he nodded in the drummer’s direction, prompting him to stop.

Then, he began, leading them into the song with a short bass solo. Not long after he began, Akira leaned into the mic and started singing, “ _Ha_ …”

A smile automatically grew on his face at the sound of his voice and he continued as Akira began on the first verse, with the other band members accompanying him, “ _We’re taking over the world… one kiss at a time… and then I’m taking your girl… And I’m making her mine. No reason why. I’m only doing anything I want to do because I do it all the time_.”

As the song’s instrumentals looped for the most part, Akechi began to feel more comfortable, looking up at the rest of the band, watching as they enjoyed the music they were creating. Eventually, his eyes landed on Akira, who grooved across the open area in the center of all of them.

When their eyes met, Akira approached him, continuing to sing, “ _And when I’m taking your innocence… I’ll be corrupting your mind_ …” He ruffled his fingers through Akechi’s hair during the last line, causing him to laugh, before spinning around him until they were back to back, leaning on each other, “ _No need to cry. I’m only doing anything I want to do because I do it all the time_ …”

When the chorus began, Akira circled back around to face Akechi, singing directly to him as he played, “ _Now, we’re so young but we’re probably gonna die… It’s so fun. We’re so good at selling lies… We look so good and we never even try. Get your money from a trust fund, do it all the time…_ ” Akira ended the chorus with a wink in Goro’s direction. Goro’s smile faltered slightly, face turning bright red in embarrassment. His fingers slipped a bit, messing up a few notes. He quickly looked back at his sheet-music, trying desperately to get back to where he was supposed to be.

Repeating the first verse once and the chorus two more times, the song wrapped with everyone in the studio on their feet, applauding. Akira practically jumped toward Goro with a huge grin on his face. He pulled him into an unexpected hug. “Oh!”

“You did it!”

“I… did it?”

“Yes, and you sounded incredible!” Makoto piped up excitedly.

“Holy shit, dude, I did not expect rockin’ like that to come out of a guy in a sweater vest,” Ryuji rustled his fingers through his blonde hair.

“You were all amazing but Akechi, you really proved yourself. Magnificent job!” Haru clapped.

“Th-Thank you, all…” Akechi blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

“If that’s how you sound on your first day, imagine what you’d sound like at your first gig after a few weeks of practice,” Akira raved, before deflating nervously, “…that is… if you even want to join us…”

Akechi paused, looking at everybody in the room. They were all looking at him expectantly. Especially Akira, who he saw crossing his fingers.

His eyes were full of hope.

How could he refuse?

“When’s our next rehearsal?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this and you actually play an instrument, you can probably tell I was a chorus kid in high school, and not a band kid. x_x


	3. Chapter 3

**Kurusu (5:06 PM):** I’m outside.

 **Kurusu (5:07 PM):** I don’t think I’m allowed to park here so if you could please make it quick.

***

Akechi glanced down at the two incoming messages on his phone’s screen. With a hair-tie between his teeth, he combed his fingers through his hair before finally pulling it back into a low ponytail. He smoothed his hands over his white button-down and adjusted his black tie.

He exhaled at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and shook out his arms.

“Okay… I can do this,” He grabbed his phone off the bathroom sink and exited the room, continuing toward the exit of his apartment. Retrieving his wallet and his keys from the table by his door, he shoved them into his pockets as he left, locking the door behind him. As he descended the stairs of the building, he repeated himself, “I can do this. I can do this.”

When he made it outside, he saw Kurusu standing beside a white van. He wore a vintage band tee beneath his staple leather jacket. His hair seemed wilder than usual. His lips were painted a deep red and his eyes were shaded black. He looked… _wow_.

Before he could even comment on his appearance, Kurusu spoke first, “Akechi, this is a rock concert. What’s with the tie?”

Goro looked down at himself, immediately self-conscious, “I… I wasn’t sure what the appropriate attire was.”

“Cool, comfortable.”

He gaped at him, crossing his arms over his chest in offense, “I _am_ cool and comfortable,” He puffed his cheeks, “I dress like this all the time.”

Kurusu smiled and held up his hands, “We can fix it when we get there. For now, we should leave before some cop tries giving me a parking ticket.”

And with that, they both entered the vehicle. With a quick look in the backseat, Goro raised his eyebrows in surprise when he found it stocked full of instruments, wires, and amplifiers. Whenever the Phantom Thieves would have a gig, they would apparently rent out a van for the night. Two of them would use the van to transport their equipment to the venue, while the rest of the band would take the train and meet them there to help set-up.

As they buckled their seatbelts, Akechi pointed to the back of the van, “And you’re sure this is everything?”

“Everything’s back there,” Akira assured him as he turned the key in the ignition and activated his turn signal, “Trust me, Haru and Makoto made us check like five times.”

“Good, good,” Akechi nodded with a sigh. _One less thing to worry about._ He scanned his eyes at their surroundings, acting as Akira’s extra set of eyes as he merged onto the road. Luckily, with everyone heading home from work at the end of the day, there should be no unusual amounts of high traffic entering the city. So, they should arrive at the venue on time, “Did you need any GPS navigation? I charged my phone before I left so I should have enough battery if you need—”

“Nope, I’m good. This isn’t our first gig at this place, so I know where I’m going.”

“How is it there? Is it clean?”

Akira chuckled, “As clean as a local music hall can be,” Goro blinked at him. When he didn’t respond, he continued, “You’ll like it. It’s a lot nicer place to perform than our studio, that’s for sure,” Goro remained silent still, “Do you want to listen to some music? I’ll hand you the aux cord.”

Akechi shook his head, “No, thank you.”

Kurusu quickly looked at Akechi, then back at the road, “Why not?”

He reduced his voice to a mumble as he answered, “I’m afraid of I hear another song, I might forget how _our_ songs are supposed to sound.”

“…I think you might be over-thinking this.”

“Am I? You all have been performing these songs for a few years while _I’ve_ only had a few _weeks_ to practice. The likelihood of _me_ making a mistake is far greater than the likelihood of any of you making a mistake,” He ranted. In his peripheral, Akira could see him frantically moving his hands around as he spoke.

“Akechi…”

“I would appreciate it if the radio remained off,” He declared with finality.

“Whatever makes you comfortable, okay?”

“Thank you,” Akechi sighed.

They were quiet for a while, the only sound they heard was from the van’s engine and the other cars driving around them. Akira tried his best to remain focused on the road, but he was distracted by movement coming from his passenger’s seat.

He looked over briefly to find Akechi, eyes closed in focus, hands moving as though he were playing his bass but without the instrument. His lips were mouthing numbers, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, a time signature.

Akira tilted his head in confusion, expression amused, “Uh… What are you doing?”

“Practicing.”

“…Why?”

“Because I need to.”

Rolling his eyes, Akira shook his head, “You don’t _need_ to practice anymore. You’ve been practicing your heart out for the past few weeks and you sound fantastic. What you _need_ to do is breathe—”

“I _am_ breathing!” Akechi snapped.

“No, you’re not. You—”

“You threw me off my count. Now, I have to start over.

And just like, he began air-strumming all over again. Akira tightened his jaw before reaching over to grab his hand.

Akechi’s eyes opened wide, looking down at their hands clasped together then back at Akira with outrage written across his face, “What are you doing?! Let me go!”

“No, you’ve lost your air-guitar privileges for the rest of the ride.”

Scoffing, Akechi attempted to shake Akira’s hand off his but to no avail, “What, you’re just going to hold my hand the entire way there?”

“Pretty much,” He shrugged nonchalantly.

“You’re being a child.”

“If helping you relax makes me a child, then so be it.”

He glared at the man in the driver’s seat before accepting defeat, “At least allow me to reposition my hand so my fingers don’t cramp up.”

Akira hesitated before loosening his grip, letting Akechi lace his fingers comfortably between his own. Once he stopped moving, he tightened his hold on his hand again and sighed contentedly. His smile contrasted Akechi’s scowl.

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“I’d enjoy it more if you put on some music, so we didn’t have to sit in silence for the next 45 minutes.”

“No.”

“Welp, saw that one coming. Fine. Then, we can talk.”

Akechi rolled his eyes, “What do you want to talk about?”

“Hm…” He thought, “Anything… Everything.”

“In that case, I have a question. What’s with the makeup?”

Akira’s eyes flickered over to rearview mirror to look at himself, then back at the road. He almost forgot he was wearing anything on his face, “Whenever we have a performance, I like to have a little fun with makeup. Unfortunately, it’d be a little weird if I wore eyeshadow and lipstick out in public on any given day, but when I’m on stage, I can be whoever I want and no one will think twice about it,” He looked over quickly to find Akechi staring at him, “What, do you not like it?”

Goro quickly shook his head, “N-No, I like it. It’s just different.”

“Does it make me look hot?” Akechi scoffed, ears turning red. He didn’t answer, hoping Akira would just drop it, but he persisted, “I was asking a serious question.”

“Oh, erm… Yes, it came out good,” He replied lamely.

“I didn’t ask if my _makeup_ looked good. I’ve perfected my smoky eye over the years, so I _know_ it looks good. I asked you if it made _me_ look hot.”

“I…” Akechi smiled incredulously before turning to look out the window, “Yes, you look… good. You know, you can be quite cocky sometimes.”

Akira laughed, “It’s funny you mention that because the rest of the Phantom Thieves say I’m like a different person whenever I’m in the mindset to perform.”

“You’re a wildcard.”

“Exactly!” He pointed, “They say I’m more confident, flirty, and as you said, cocky. Ann even says I’m like ten times sexier whenever I’m performing.”

Akechi raised an eyebrow. _That would explain a few things_ … “I can understand how doing something you love and you’re good at would make you feel better about yourself.”

“We’ve all got a stage persona, even you.”

That piqued his interest, “Oh, really? What’s mine like?”

Akira took a second to think, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, “Whenever you’re performing, you seem very… mysterious. You’re quieter, more reserved than usual but your eyes have this… _something_ in them, like you’re hiding something, like you’ve got a dirty secret you won’t tell anybody, like you’re not who you say you are.”

“Hm…” Akechi thought to himself about it.

“Yeah, it’s very different from who you are off-stage. Normally, you’re very direct. You always say exactly what’s on your mind. You want something, you demand it. Like when you insisted I stayed at the studio with you last week until you perfected that riff because we hadn’t made you a copy of the key yet and you needed someone to lock up when you were done, remember?”

Akechi nodded, “Yes, I remember,” He tilted his head, “Which side of me do you prefer?”

“Honestly, I can’t choose.”

“Oh, please…” Goro laughed, rolling his eyes.

“Both sides of you are fun. I like performing with you, doing little things to try and get you to reveal whatever it is you’re hiding, trying to get you to reveal that wild-side I know you’re hiding. But on the other hand, I also really like just talking to you and getting to know you better, because the more I find out about you, the more awesome you are.”

Goro blushed at the comment, tightening his jaw, “Fine… I’ll accept that answer… but only because I wouldn’t be able to choose which side of _you_ I’d prefer if you asked.”

Akira grinned, shaking his hand happily. Akechi concealed a smile beneath his free hand. And then they went silent again. Looking out the window, Goro swore he felt Akira’s thumb gently caress the back of his hand. He instinctively squeezed his hand back and closed his eyes for a moment.

“Are you feeling any more relaxed?” Akira asked softly.

“A bit, yes.”

He let out a breath, “That’s good. This is your first show! You should feel excited, not anxious. Trust me, this is going to be fun!”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I _know_ I’m right.”

Akechi opened his eyes and looked at him, “Do you do this with all your friends before your concerts? Hold their hands while you give them pep talks?”

“Not really,” Akira shrugged, “Makoto doesn’t really get nervous about these kinds of things and Ryuji’s more of a hugger anyways.”

“Your friends are very lucky to have you,” Goro bit his lip, turning away.

“They’re _our_ friends, Akechi,” He corrected.

“I suppose I don’t feel very close to them yet.”

Akira shook their hands once more, gaining his attention, “Don’t worry, you will soon enough. We’ve just been so preoccupied with rehearsal that you haven’t had the chance to really bond with everybody yet. I know Haru talks about wanting to hang out with you sometimes.”

Akechi’s face softened, “Does she really?”

“And I know _I_ would like to get to know you more too.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm… So, relax. You’ll start to feel like a member of the family too,” He offered him a reassuring smile. Akechi smiled warmly back.

“I have really enjoyed the time I’ve spent with you. I admit, I still feel a bit nervous whenever I am preparing for rehearsal, but you’ve done a good job at making me feel welcome. I feel like I belong there.”

He shook their hands again, “That’s because you _do_ belong there, Akechi.”

Goro blushed and turned away from Akira again to hide his blushing face, “Thank you, Kurusu.”

“No need to thank me. If you really wanted to thank me, you would let yourself have fun tonight. Loosen up those shoulders, smile, laugh, dance. If you can end the night proud of yourself, I’ll consider that a proper ‘thank you.’”

Akechi could feel the corners of his lips tugging as Akira spoke. He sat up straight and closed his eyes, rolling his shoulders. He took a few deep breaths in and out. They both turned to each other simultaneously. Goro flashed him an award-winning smile.

Akira couldn’t help but smile back.

“May I have my hand for a moment?” Goro asked.

Obliging, Akira released his hold on Goro’s hand. His eyes moved between the road and him. He watched as Goro reached into his pocket with one hand, pulling out his phone, and grabbed at the wire connected to the radio with the other. He plugged the two into each other and after a few moments, music began playing through the speakers. Rock music.

Akira threw a fist in the air triumphantly, “Yes!”

And just like that, the entire mood shifted. The tension lifted as they cruised along the highway, loud music enveloping the two of them. Goro set his phone down in one of the cup-holders.

Before pulling his hand away, he saw Akira’s hand resting on the gearshift. He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth before gently grazing his fingertips against Akira’s, a silent request.

He didn’t look up at Akira’s face.

He didn’t see the way he smiled.

He only watched as Akira interlaced their fingers together once more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song used in this chapter:  
> "Bad Romance" by Halestorm (Cover)

When they arrived at the venue, Akira pulled around the back of the building and found an empty parking spot marked ‘Reserved.’ He pulled into it and put the van in park before taking the key out of the ignition. Akechi sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt. He was about to leave the vehicle when Akira grabbed him by the sleeve.

“Hold on, Akechi.”

Goro turned to him and watched as he reached for his messenger bag in the back, the one he always carried around. Sifting through it for a few seconds, he retrieved a small black object. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a small black book, but when Akira opened it, it turned out to be…

“Oh, no. You are _not_ putting makeup in my eyes,” Akechi shook his head, staring wide-eyed at the eyeshadow palette.

“I’m not putting this _in_ your eyes, I’m putting it _around_ your eyes,” He attempted to rationalize.

“You’re going to make me look… strange.”

Akira feigned offence, “You know, that’s very rude. I’m actually very skilled at applying makeup. See?” He closed his eyes and pointed at the blend of colors on his own eyelids.

“I wasn’t doubting your ability to apply makeup. I meant that I probably won’t look good with makeup on.”

“Shut up, you look good all the time,” Akira’s eyes widened for a moment, “I… I mean, I promise I’ll make it look good. If you end up hating it, I have makeup remover wipes in my bag too, okay?” He held out his pinky finger, “Trust me?”

Akechi stared at the finger, briefly wondering what he was supposed to do with it. He looked up at Akira’s puppy-dog eyes before groaning, linking his pinky finger with his, “I’m still not fond of the idea of you messing around my eyes but sure… I trust you.”

“Sweet,” Akira set down the open eyeshadow palette on the center console and turned his body to face Akechi completely, “I apologize ahead of time if I touch you a lot. It helps me keep my hands steady if I’m holding on to whatever I’m doing.”

Holding up his heads, he sat up straight, composing himself, “Do what you must.”

And with that, Akira reached out one hand and placed it on the side of Akechi’s face, gently guiding him a little bit closer. Akechi’s eyes closed involuntarily. Before he could act on the instinctive urge to lean into his touch, Akira pulled his hand away and focused on dabbing a bit of slate-grey eyeshadow onto his fingertip. The color almost resembled the steely darkness of Akira’s own eyes.

When Akira turned to focus on his face, Akechi was startled by just how close his face was. He could feel his breath against his lips, the warmth of his skin against his skin. He licked his lips, heart stuttering in his chest. He almost backed away from him before remembering he was as close as Akira needed him to be to work.

“Okay, open your mouth and look up for me.”

“E-Excuse me?” Akechi’s eyes widened at the command.

“I’m going to be putting this underneath your lash-line. If you keep your mouth open and your eyes looking upward, it’ll stop you from blinking so much,” He explained.

Akechi stared at him quizzically, before slowly tilting his entire head back. Akira laughed and placed his hand on his cheek again, moving him so that he faced forward, “N-No, not like that!”

As he giggled, Akechi’s face burned, flustered. “D-Don’t laugh at me!” He snapped, cheeks red with embarrassment.

“I’m not laughing at you,” Akira responded, still laughing. When his eyes met Akechi’s glare, he pulled himself together, “I’m sorry, Akechi. Like this, okay?” He demonstrated, parting his lips and casting his eyes upward, “You move your eyes and your mouth, not your entire head.”

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Goro pouted, “Well, pardon me for having never done this before.”

“It’s okay, just do like I showed you… Perfect. Now, just stay like that and relax. Like I said, I’m only putting this below your bottom lashes, so you don’t have to worry about me poking you in the eye.”

“Coming from the man with shaky hands…” Akechi muttered.

“I thought you said you trusted me.”

“Reluctantly, yes.”

“Then, please…?”

They looked at each other for a moment. Akechi almost forgot that his hand was still cupping his cheek. It felt so soft, gentle, warm against his face. Focusing on the sensation of being touched in such a manner was enough to make him feel relaxed. He sighed, “Fine,” Before parting his lips and looking upward as he was instructed.

He felt Akira’s other hand touch his face as he began dabbing the dark pigment beneath his eye. Then, with a clean finger, he blended it out.

As he did so, Akechi pondered why he was suddenly out of breath. The air around them felt still. All Akechi could hear was his own heartbeat as well as Akira’s steady breathing. It took more effort than he imagined not to nuzzle against the hand holding his face.

“Okay, look at me,” Akira spoke. Akechi did as he was told, his breath caught in his throat while Akira examined his work. He bit his lip, as Akira continued to speak, “How fond of eyeliner are you?”

Akechi swallowed, clearing his throat, “That… depends where you’re putting it.”

“On your waterline,” He released his hold on him and pointed to it on his own eye, “Right here.”

That snapped him back to reality, “No.”

“Come on, please?”

“Absolutely not. You got your eyeshadow, you had your fun, that’s it.”

“But it’ll complete the look.”

There was a pause. As uncomfortable as the idea of someone applying makeup so close to his eye was, he wasn’t opposed to the idea of Akira cradling his face again, “…Fine. But only because I don’t want to go up there looking incomplete.”

“You’re the best! Hold on,” He reached into his bag again before returning his attention back to him with a little black pencil in his hand. He reached out to hold his face again, but Akechi met him halfway, practically placing his cheek in his hand, “Okay, just like last time. Fair warning, this might be a little more uncomfortable since I’m going to be pulling down your bottom lid just a little bit.”

He moved closer, “Take… your time.”

And so Akira began drawing on his eyes with the eyeliner pencil, gently dragging it across his waterlines, leaving black pigment in its wake. Akechi was surprised by just how simple it was, “And… Perfect,” He backed away from Akechi before turning the rear-view mirror toward him, “What do you think?”

Akechi blinked at his reflection, “Well, that’s… different.”

“Doesn’t it look good?” Akira asked, stowing his makeup away in his bag. He grabbed a makeup-removing wipe and quickly cleaned the eyeshadow off his fingers.

“It doesn’t look… _bad_.”

“You look fantastic. Now,” He clapped his hands together, “Let me fix that outfit.”

“Must we?”

“Yes,” Akira reached for him once more, “Let’s start off with this tie. We’ll just loosen it a bit, right… there. That way we can undo some of the buttons of your shirt.”

“N-Not too many,” Akechi stammered, swatting at him. He looked around, making sure no passersby saw another man unbuttoning his shirt a little _too_ eagerly. Luckily, no one was around. But that didn’t erase the possibility of a security camera catching their every move with zero context.

“Okay, then last but not least, we’ll just untuck your shirt,” He extended his arms to grab at the bottom of Akechi’s shirt, but his wrists were quickly grabbed, stopping him.

“L… Let me handle that, okay?” Akechi laughed nervously.

He began doing as Akira suggested, pulling the shirt he was wearing from beneath the waistband of his pants. Akira watched, briefly seeing a flash of pale skin as his shirt rode up for a moment before falling back down.

Akechi smoothed out his shirt and tightened his ponytail, “There… Are you satisfied with my appearance now?”

Akira backed up, inspecting him more broadly before nodding in approval, “You look perfect.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“That’s show business, baby. Now, let’s go. The ‘Thieves are probably all waiting for us inside.”

***

Cracking his knuckles and gnawing at his bottom lip, Akechi stared out at the set from off-stage. Any minute now, he and the rest of the band were to go out there in front of what _sounded_ like a full house of people and perform.

The venue wasn’t as large as he expected, but it was certainly larger than the Jazz Club in Kichijoji.

He gulped. He didn’t hear someone approaching him from behind until a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

“You pumped yet?!” Sakakmoto grinned widely at him.

“Oh, uh… Yeah. I’m… pumped.”

“You don’t sound very convincin’.”

Another voice sounded behind the two, “Come on, Ryuji, leave him alone,” Makoto approached the two, “Remember your first show? You spent thirty whole minutes in the bathroom while we had to set everything up before the show even started.”

“Don’t tell him that!” Ryuji shouted, flustered.

“Yeah, Makoto,” Akira jogged up to the trio, “Tell him about how Ryuji went to sit down at his drum-set but completely missed the seat and fell on his ass in front of a crowd of people instead.”

Everyone but Ryuji laughed, even Goro. Ryuji threw his hands in the air, “Screw you, guys.”

“But despite everything,” Makoto smiled, “You still ended up giving that crowd one excellent performance.”

“She’s right,” Akira nodded, “I can still remember all the faces of every in the audience when you broke out into your drum solo. They never saw it coming.”

“I remember that too. That moment kind of reminds me of all of us after we first heard Akechi play a few weeks ago, right, Akira?” she asked.

Akechi’s lips parted, “N-Niijima…”

“And we thought he was good _then_ , imagine how incredible he’s going to sound now that he’s actually had time to practice,” Akira added, nudging her with his elbow.

Bowing his head, Akechi smile gratefully, “Thank you… all of you. I promise I’ll try not to let you down tonight.”

Akira approached him and plucked a stray eyelash off the top of his cheek. He held it on the tips of his fingers in front of Akechi. Eyes flickering from the lash to Akira, Goro paused for a moment before blowing it, making a wish as he did so.

“You’ll do great,” Akira assured him.

Makoto offered a supportive smile.

“Group hug!” Ryuji announced loudly before pulling the three of them in. As uncomfortable as the gesture was physically, Goro couldn’t ignore the way his heart squeezed in his chest.

He wondered if… this is what being a part of a family felt like.

The moment was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice behind them, “You’re up, Phantom Thieves.”

Each backing away, they all nodded at each other. Ryuji was the first to enter the stage, then Makoto. Goro hesitated but when he felt Akira’s hand give his a little squeeze, he let go of the breath he was holding.

 _I can do this_.

Chin up, he strode toward the stage, Akira right behind him.

***

Goro’s heart had been beating faster than a hummingbird’s wings for the past hour and a half. Whether it be from the massive amounts of body heat emitting from the crowd of people before him or the spotlights shining down from above, he was positively sweating. He grabbed a nearby rag and wiped the perspiration from his face.

As sticky as the heat felt, he had never felt more alive.

So, when Akira finished off his bottle of water and announced their final song for the evening, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“Again, I want to thank my band. Give it up for Makoto on guitar,” The audience clapped as Akira gestured to her. She bowed, “And Ryuji on drums,” The audience continued, this time with a bit more volume coming from a group of shrill young women. Ryuji winked at them with a cocky grin, “And last but not least, our newest member on bass. Make some noise for Goro Akechi!”

Akechi’s heart jumped when the audience screamed even louder. _Th… There’s no way they’re all screaming for me…_

“In case you forgot, I’m Akira Kurusu, we are the Phantom Thieves, and I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight with one last song,” He turned to the rest of the band, “Ready, guys?”

With his fingers in the air, Akira began silently counting down before finally pointing to Makoto for her entrance. They all joined in accordingly while Akira sang the first line in the song.

“ _Want your bad romance_!”

The crowd latched onto the song’s energy almost immediately as they all played together, hands and phones in the air. Akechi smiled and bobbed his head to the beat. He looked to Akira as he began singing the first verse, “ _I want your ugly. I want your disease… I want your everything, as long as it’s free. I want your love…_ ”

Ryuji leaned into his mic, “ _I want your love_!”

Akira ran his fingers through his unruly hair, “ _Love, love, love. I want your love…_ ”

“ _I want your love, I want your love!_ ” Ryuji sang once more.

As the verse continued, Akechi’s smile grew wider. Eventually, Akira turned to him. His heart thudded against his ribcage when he approached him. Despite having his own microphone, Akira held out his mic to Akechi to begin singing the pre-chorus.

Akechi leaned in close to the mic, channeling his deeper, raspier tone to achieve the sensual energy behind the words he was singing. All the while, Akira leaned his forehead against his, looking directly into his eyes with his lips parted, “ _You know that I want you… And you know that I need you… I want it bad… A bad romance_.”

As the chorus began, Akira quickly turned away and returned center-stage, jumping to the music, “ _I want your love and I want your revenge. You can me could write a bad romance…_ ”

The rest of the band harmonized in the background, “ _Oh, oh, oh…_ ”

“ _I want your love and all your lover’s revenge_ ,” He and Akira locked eyes once more. He didn’t expect him to wink in his direction, “ _You and me could write a bad romance_.”

Akechi gaped at him incredulously, watching as he clenched his eyes shut, singing his heart out for the rest of the chorus, “ _Oh, oh, oh… oh… oh! Caught in a bad romance… Oh, oh, oh… oh… oh! Caught in a bad romance_!”

“ _Want your bad romance_ ,” He and the others sang as Akira wrapped up the chorus and began moving onto the next verse.

“ _I want your horror. I want your design… ‘Cause you’re a criminal as long as you’re mine. I want your love…_ ”

“ _I want your love!_ ” Makoto added, just as Ryuji had in the previous verse.

And again, like in the previous verse, Akira approached Akechi as the pre-chorus began. But instead of letting Akechi sing the part alone, he sang along with him. Well… ‘Sing’ would be the wrong word to describe it, as Akira growled into the mic, “ _You know that I want you… And you know that I need you… I want it bad… A bad romance._ ”

As they ran through the chorus once more, Akechi watched the audience. Each one of them had a huge smile on their faces as they moved to the music. He wondered if this thrill was what the performers at Jazz Jin felt like whenever he watched them in awe.

Transitioning to the bridge, the rest of the band apart from Makoto quieted down to allow Akira to sing, “ _I want your love, and I want your revenge. I want your love, I don’t wanna be friends_ ,” He sang close to the mic, feeling every word, “ _Je veux ton amour, et je veux ta revanche. Je veux ton amour… I don’t wanna be friends…_ ”

“ _I don’t wanna be friends…_ ” Akechi sang softly into his mic.

“ _I don’t wanna be friends…_ ” Kurusu smirked.

“ _I don’t wanna be friends…_ ” He sang once more, voice becoming progressively louder.

“ _No, I don’t wanna be friends…_ ” Akira shook his head.

“ _I don’t wanna be friends…_ ” At this point, they were looking at each other like they were the only two people in the room.

“ _Want your bad romance!_ ”

“ _Want your bad romance!_ ” The intensity in Akechi’s voice rivaled Akira’s as they alternated lines back and forth.

“ _Want your bad romance!_ ”

They returned to the chorus one final time, putting their heart and souls into the finale of their performance. Akechi saw tears in Akira’s eyes as he sang his final lines.

And just like that, it was over. The crowd erupted into uproarious applause. Akira gestured for everyone on stage to take a bow, and then one by one, they set down their instruments and walked off stage, waving goodbye to the audience as they did so.

Akechi’s knees buckled the moment he was out of the crowd’s line-of-sight. If Akira weren’t there to catch him, he wondered if perhaps he would have collapsed. His ears were ringing but he could still hear Akira’s voice in his ear, “You did it, Goro!”

“Go… ro…?” He asked, in a daze.

“Oh! Uh…” Akira released his hold on Akechi once he was sure he could stand on his own two feet. “Akechi,” He corrected.

Akechi watched as he nervously scratched at his forearm. Without really thinking, he reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping him, “No, it’s alright… You can call me by my name… if you’d like…” He spoke slowly, still in a blissful haze following their performance.

“Really?” He adjusted his hand to hold Goro’s properly. His thumb massaged his fingers.

Goro nodded, blushing, “Mhm.”

“Well, alright then, Goro, but the same goes for you too.”

“Okay,” He pursed his lips, but Akira was looking at him expectantly. He realized he couldn’t leave it at that, “…Akira.”

Akira’s face lit up as he pulled Goro into a big hug. Goro smiled gently before slowly wrapping his arms around him in return. He swore he could fall asleep right then and there as Akira rubbed circles over his back. He felt his eyes begin to well up with unshed tears when he heard Akira whisper in his ear:

“I’m so proud of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact:
> 
> Chapters 3 & 4 were supposed to be one chapter but I got a little carried away while editing and ended up writing an extra 1,000 words and decided it was too long so I ended up breaking it up into two chapters.
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying it so far!
> 
> I've got a ton of ideas for upcoming chapters but feel free to leave suggestions of what you'd like to see in the comments (songs to use, plot ideas, etc.) Also, as always, let me know what you think.<3


	5. Chapter 5

“…Shit…”

Both Akira and Futaba looked up from her laptop when they heard a voice curse. Their lips parted in shock, they looked at each other, then back at the source. They wondered if perhaps they both heard it wrong but then it happened again.

“God damnit,” the voice hissed.

Akira nudged the laptop he was sharing off his lap, allowing Futaba to take full control of it. He stood up from the couch, shoved his hands in his pockets, and casually walked across the studio.

“…Hey, Goro?”

Akechi didn’t even offer him a quick glance as he scribbled down notes in his sheet music with a dull pencil. He set the writing utensil back down on the music stand and grabbed ahold of his bass, playing through the same riff he had been practicing for the past thirty minutes. And just as it had the previous times, the final chord was far too dissonant for his liking, causing him to wince.

“Fuck,” He swore even louder.

“Goro—”

“What?!”

Placing both hands on his shoulders, Akira offered him a polite smile, “H-Hey, relax. It’s only me,” He attempted to rub the tension from his shoulders.

He had been like this from the moment he finished watching the video Futaba had edited together from their most recent performance, his first gig. As he watched, Akira couldn’t help but notice the way Goro visibly cringed at every sour note he heard played back to him. The smile he had when Futaba first pressed play eventually faded away as he heard more and more of his mistakes.

As soon as the video ended, he rose from his seat on the couch, grabbed his bass, and began practicing without a word.

“What do you want?” Goro asked, the usual pleasant tone in his voice completely gone.

“I…” Akira scrambled for the right words, “I just wanted to tell you how well you’re doing.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying,” Akira turned to Futaba with a helpless expression, “Futaba, don’t you think he’s doing a great job so far?”

Futaba held up a thumbs-up but continued to avoid eye-contact, “Sounds better than I’d expect from someone who’s only been playing for about a month.”

Akechi shook his head. There was no joy in his forced smile, “I need to be perfect, starting with this riff,” He held his bass, about to run through the notes again but Akira placed his hand over the strings. Goro glared at him, “What do you have against me practicing?”

“I don’t have anything against you practicing, I just…” He scanned the room, once again searching for the right words to say. His eyes eventually landed on the sheet music Goro had been reading from. He picked up the pencil and began writing something down, “Here, I think you’ll find less dissonance in your last chord if you try this.”

Goro took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth before trying what Akira had suggested. While yes, his solution fixed the issue he was facing, the way his fingers stuttered over the first few notes made him seethe. He clenched his fists, leaving crescent-shaped marks on his palms from his fingernails.

“God fucking damnit…” He whispered under his breath, the words slipping from his lips so easily. Like he swore all the time, except…

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before.”

Closing his eyes and clenching his jaw, Akechi shook his head, “It’s hot in here.”

Akira grabbed his hands, forcing them to relax so that he wouldn’t hurt himself, “Why don’t you take a break for a while?”

Futaba chimed in behind him, “It’s not going to get better if you keep fretting over it, dude.”

“She’s right,” Akira nodded, “Our next gig isn’t for a while so why not give it up for now and—”

“You want me to give up?!” Akechi ripped his hands away from Akira’s. His voice was loud, a lot louder than Akira was used to.

“N-No, that wasn’t what I—”

Goro stood up from his stool, causing Akira to instinctively take a step back, “How am I supposed to not make a fool out of myself on stage if I just give up?!”

“Goro, that wasn’t what I—” Akira tried to explain but he was cut off again.

“I need some air,” He exhaled, setting his guitar down in its stand before storming out of the studio. As he left, Futaba looked at Akira, who was sporting a kicked-puppy expression.

After a minute of Akira staring longingly at the door, Futaba eventually spoke up, “So, are you going to go after him or…?”

Akira blinked a few times, “Hm? Me?”

“Well, it’s not like I’m talking to Mona,” She rolled her eyes, pointing to the cat, who was sleeping comfortably on the bean-bag chair Ann usually sat in, legs tucked beneath him like a fluffy loaf of bread.

Biting his lip, Akira responded, “I don’t think he wants to see me right now…”

“That’s not true,” She replied immediately. Her tone was less sympathetic and more like she was stating fact.

“You… don’t know that,” Akira shuffled on his feet, caressing his knuckle idly against Akechi’s guitar.

Futaba snorted and shook her head, “Akira, just go.”

Akira looked around the studio, looking for an excuse but found none. So, he left, following where Goro had gone just a few minutes ago. Once he was outside, he looked in all directions for him, the summer sun blinding him. He began walking around until he spotted a familiar figure sitting alone on the front steps of the apartment building, just watching the cars go by.

He was… smoking?

“Go—” Akira had to do a quick double-take, “Goro…?”

Akechi jolted in surprise, quickly snuffing out his cigarette on the pavement in front of him, hoping Akira didn’t see it but it was already too late.

“You know, I _thought_ I smelled smoke on your breath when I did your makeup that night,” He approached him slowly.

“Yeah, yeah…” Akechi waved dismissively, “So, the squeaky clean Goro Akechi isn’t as squeaky clean as everyone thought he was.”

Akira held up his hands, “I’m not judging you or anything. I just didn’t know you smoked.”

“I don’t often, no. I’ve gotten a lot better since high school, but I always keep one with me, just in case…” He explained.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Akira responded, taking a seat beside him.

Goro withdrew a lighter from his pocket and reignited his cigarette, taking one drag from it before holding it out to Akira, which he took between his fingers. He took a quick puff from it before handing it back.

“I apologize for snapping at you. I know you didn’t actually mean I should give up. I was just frustrated and I wasn’t thinking straight but I suppose that’s not a very good excuse for raising your voice at someone who is just trying to help.”

“Hey, we’ve all been there,” Akira nodded, plucking a leaf off one of the nearby bushes, ripping it apart before letting it fall to the ground like confetti.

Akechi watched his hands, “I just want to be the best I can possibly be up there.”

“You are the best you can be. Sure, you screwed up some chords here and there, but the audience didn’t seem to care. Why? Because they all saw you up there playing your heart out, like that’s how the song was _supposed_ to sound, like that sour note was _supposed_ to be there.”

Shrugging, he took another hit from his cigarette.

Akira sighed, “Want to hear a story about _my_ first gig?” Akechi paused before nodding, “Before the show, I didn’t want to admit how nervous I was. I thought to myself, I have no reason to be nervous. After all, these are the songs that _I_ wrote, that I had practiced millions of times.”

Akechi gestured for him to continue with his hand, “And…?”

“I sang the same verse twice on, not just on one, but two different songs.”

He raised his eyebrows, handing the cigarette to Akira to let him finish it off.

“Sure, we were new and no one knew who we were or how the songs were supposed to sound, but it didn’t stop me from going home and crying myself to sleep,” Akira blushed, extinguishing the cigarette before idly rolling it into a tiny ball between his fingertips.

“Morgana must’ve hated that.”

“Mona wasn’t too thrilled about being my snot-rag for the night, no, but that’s not the point. The point is that you are human, Goro.”

Goro sighed, letting his head hang low, “I hate being human sometimes.”

Akira shoved the cigarette butt in his pocket to throw out later, then placed a hand on his friend’s knee, “Practice is important, but you need to learn to forgive yourself. Take breaks, have some fun, drink a nice cup of coffee— Ah ha!” He stood up and offered Goro a hand.

“What?” He asked, staring at Akira’s hand with an almost amused expression.

“Come over.”

“Huh?”

“Come with me to my place. You’ve never visited before so why not? I can make you some coffee, we can listen to some music, relax a bit, just you and me. What do you say?” He smiled at him.

Goro didn’t know what to say. He had never been invited to a friend’s home before, “Uh…”

“It’ll be great, plus it’ll give me the chance to make sure Futaba gets home safe since she lives so close by.”

His eyes met Akira’s. He saw the same glimmer of hope he saw in them when he asked him to join the band at their first rehearsal, the one he couldn’t say ‘no’ to. Pursing his lips, he nodded before accepting his hand, allowing Akira to pull him to his feet. They returned to the studio to find Futaba lounging on the couch with her laptop on her stomach.

“You guys kiss-and-make-up yet?”

“We’re good. We’re thinking of heading back to Yongen-Jaya. Did you want us to walk you home or are you good?” Akira gathered his bag, snapping his fingers at Morgana, gesturing for him to hop inside.

She closed her laptop, “Yeah, yeah, give me a sec,” She yawned, shoving the device into her bag before throwing it over her shoulder, “Alright, let’s go.”

And with that, Goro grabbed his briefcase the three of them left the studio for the train station. Upon reaching Yongen, they quickly dropped Futaba off at what Goro assumed was her home. Morgana jumped out of Akira’s bag to follow her. Once she was safely inside the building, Akira and Goro continued walking through the residential district.

It wasn’t long until they stopped in front of a building, the awning above the door read ‘LeBlanc.’ The last thing he expected when they walked in was a café.

“I thought we were going to your place,” Akechi whispered.

“This _is_ my place.”

Before Akechi could say anything more, a deep voice behind the counter spoke, “Welcome back. Oh, and I see you brought a friend.”

They both looked to the man behind the counter. Akira took a step forward, “This is Goro Akechi, our new bassist. Goro, this is mine and Futaba’s guardian, Sojiro Sakura.”

Akechi bowed, “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“The pleasure’s all mine. Can I get you anything?”

Akira spoke first, “Don’t worry about it, Sojiro. I can take care of him,” He entered behind the counter and began tying an apron around himself like it was routine, “Make yourself at home,” He smiled at Akechi.

Akechi obliged and took a seat at the bar.

“While you’re doing that, I’m going to go have a quick cigarette,” Sojiro announced, hanging up his apron and placing a hat on his head before exiting the café.

Akira stood in front of Goro behind the counter, “What can I get you?”

“I’ll… have whatever you recommend. Preferably decaf.”

“Coming right up.”

He began shuffling behind the counter, preparing coffee like he’d done it a thousand times.

As he did that, Goro looked around the place. The atmosphere really was something to behold. The warmth in the décor was enough to make him feel right at home, “I had no idea you lived in a restaurant or that you and Futaba shared a guardian.”

Akira chuckled nervously, “It’s a long story.”

“We have time.”

With a sigh, Akira began, “Well, to make a long story short, in high school, I stopped a man from assaulting a woman. He got hurt, took me to court, won. My parents were pissed with me, so they sent me away to live with an acquaintance of theirs, Sojiro, for a year while I was on probation. I ended up meeting the Phantom Thieves and by the time my probation was over, I decided I wanted to stay and now, here I am.”

Akechi’s lips were parted in shock, “I had no idea I’ve been hanging out with someone with a criminal record.”

Akira couldn’t help but laugh, “What can I say? I’m a bad boy,” He wiped down a mug with a nearby rag, “In my defense, that man fell on his own.”

“I’m sorry… That sounds despicable.”

“It is what it is. If that all never happened, we probably wouldn’t have formed the Phantom Thieves. I don’t even think you and I would have met.”

Goro spoke without thinking, “It was fate.”

Raising his eyebrows, Akira nodded, “Fate, huh? Yeah, I guess you could call it that. Didn’t peg you as the romantic type. Here,” He placed his drink down in front of him, “Here’s your coffee.”

“Thank you…” Akechi smiled, holding the mug in both his hands, letting it warm his fingers, “What do I owe you?”

“It’s on me,” He answered with a wink.

Before Goro could protest, Sojiro re-entered the café, joining Akira behind the counter, “I can take over from here, you and your friend go have fun.”

“Are you sure?”

Sojiro nodded, “Business has been quiet as usual, I could use something to do.”

Akira began taking off his apron, “Alrighty,” He hung it up and exited behind the counter. He gestured for Goro to follow him, “Come on, I’ll show you my room.”

Goro’s eyes flickered between him, Sojiro, and his full cup of coffee.

“Don’t worry, you can bring your drink up with you,” Sojiro smirked, “I’ll make sure he brings it back down and washes it later.”

Rising to his feet, he bowed his head to Sojiro once more. He grabbed his coffee in one hand and his briefcase in the other and slowly followed Akira up the stairs. He wasn’t sure what he expected when he got to the top of the steps, but it wasn’t this.

Akira extended his arms, gesturing grandly to the space.

“This is my attic prison.”

“It’s… quite spacious for a prison cell… and clean.”

“Thank you. Back when I asked if I could continue staying here even after my probation, Sojiro agreed to it as long as I kept my shit together.

Akechi looked around some more. He examined all the trinkets on the shelf by his bed, and the glow-in-the-dark star stickers stuck to the rafters, and the plant that looked surprisingly healthy despite receiving no sunlight. He smiled when his eyes landed on a Phantom Thieves banner hanging above his sofa.

For an attic, it looked surprisingly homey. It appeared much more lived-in than his own apartment.

Akira climbed onto his bed and opened the windows, allowing the wind to knock against the chimes he had hung up, before taking a seat at the foot of his bed.

He patted the bed beside him, “You can sit here, if you want.”

Goro slowly approached him, set his briefcase on the floor, and sat down beside him, leaving a bit of room between the two of them. Akira grinned widely at him before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. After a few moments, music began playing from it.

He set down the phone on the windowsill and let it play.

Akechi finally took a sip from his coffee before setting it on the windowsill as well.

“I’m surprised someone who loves music as much as you doesn’t own a proper speaker,” He spoke, licking the coffee from his lips.

“I actually had one that I bought at the little secondhand shop we passed on the way here, but it broke within a week,” Akira shrugged.

Goro’s brows furrowed, “I could always buy you a new one, if you’d like.”

“You don’t have to do that. My phone’s speaker does the job.”

“I know, but—”

“Goro, it’s fine,” Akira laughed, grabbing his knee and shaking it, “Save your money.”

When Goro realized he wasn’t going to change his mind any time soon, he made a mental note to ask one of the other Phantom Thieves when Akira’s birthday was later.

They sat together in comfortable silence, listening to the music and the wind-chimes. After a while, Goro let his eyes close, resting his head against the windowpane, feeling the warm breeze brush against his face.

Akira was right, this was _exactly_ what he needed.

He felt himself growing sleepier but the quiet sound of a pencil scraping against paper caused him to open his eyes out of curiosity. His eyes adjusted to the sight of Akira with a pencil in one hand and a notebook in the other. He appeared to be drawing something.

“What are you doing?”

Akira looked up at him and twirled his hair between his fingers, “Oh, uh… You’re probably going to think it’s stupid.”

Akechi sat up straight, “Try me.”

“So, I have this idea for the band.”

He blinked, “Yes…?”

“It’s this,” He flipped his notebook over to show Akechi his sketches.

Squinting, Akechi leaned in to get a better look, “Masks?”

“Yes!” Akira answered excitedly, “We’re the Phantom _Thieves_ , right? Shouldn’t thieves wear masks to conceal their identities?”

Goro cupped his chin pensively, “I suppose that makes sense.”

“So, you understand! I’ve been designing a bunch of masks to fit everyone’s personalities and I’m working on yours right now,” He pointed to the really light pencil sketch in the corner of the page. It vaguely resembled a bird’s face.

“Why a bird?”

“Because you’re our songbird.”

Akechi’s face turned pink as his nose scrunched up. He waved at him dismissively, “It doesn’t get any less embarrassing the more you call me that, you know…”

Akira rolled his eyes, “So, what do you think? I was thinking we could wear them whenever we performed live. Huh?!” He pointed eagerly to another mask, “Wouldn’t I look cool with this one on?!”

“I suppose,” Goro shrugged, “But what about the makeup you usually wear?”

“I can still wear makeup, it’s not like it’s completely covering my eyes,” He tapped on the page, “See, there’s eye-holes in mine.”

“Don’t you think wearing a mask on stage might be a bit distracting?”

“I don’t think so. I know a few western musical artists that wear masks when they’re performing and they’re pretty popular.”

Akechi grimaced, “I don’t know…”

“You think they’re lame,” Akira concluded.

“I wouldn’t say they’re ‘lame.’ Personally, I just don’t think it sounds very comfortable.”

Akira sighed, hanging his head in defeat, “So far, every single one of the Thieves has shot down my mask idea. Well… Everyone except for Ryuji.”

Goro resisted the urge to reach out and grab his hand, “I like the designs. They’re quite intricate.”

“You’re only saying that to make me feel better,” He pouted.

“I mean it. Between songwriting and concept-designs like these, you certainly have an artistic gift,” Akechi spoke, but Akira still didn’t look convinced. He frowned before reaching out his hands for the notebook, “May I…?”

Hesitating, Akira handed him the pad and watched him as he rifled through his briefcase, pulling out a red pen. He began coloring in the mask Akira had designed for him.

“My favorite color is red.”

When he handed the notebook back, Akira looked at it. The red ink against the white background made the mask pop off the page. When he looked back at Akechi, he was offering him a wide smile. He had to force himself to look back at the notebook to hide his blushing face.

“D-Do you want too see some other sketches I’ve made? They aren’t very good, but I still think they’re cool.”

“Sure.”

He nodded and began flipping through the page, showing him various doodles, many of which were drawn beside song lyrics. He stopped on one page and pointed to it.

“This design right here is based on a dream I had. Remember when we were driving to our last gig and I was telling you about how we all have stage personas? This one is mine.”

Akechi looked closely at the sketch. It looked like some sort of winged demon with a wicked smile on its face. It wore high-healed boots that extended up to its thighs, and a tall black top-hat. The handwriting next to it read ‘Arsène.’

“His name’s Arsène, like Arsène Lupin…” He explained.

“The gentleman thief created by Maurice LeBlanc,’ Goro finished his sentence for him.

Akira perked up, “So, you know it?!”

“I learned a bit about it in a French literature course I took last fall.”

“I first learned about Arsène when I asked Sojiro about how he came up with this café’s name. I thought the idea of a thief that helped people was interesting, so I ended up looking more into it and voila! I know it sounds weird, but I really identified with how he used a criminal tactic like thievery to help people in need.”

Akechi nodded and allowed him to continue, noticing more and more details in Akira’s sketch the longer he looked at it.

“That’s kind of what I’m trying to do with the music I create. I’m a college dropout with a criminal record who sings and dances on stage with a full-face of makeup on. I’m everything society deems unacceptable. I want to write songs that inspire people to rise up, be the change, challenge societal norms.”

“You want to help people,” Akechi said simply.

Akira nodded, “In a broad sense, yeah.”

Nodding, Akechi bit his lip, “You’re very brave, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

Akechi finally tore his eyes away from the page and looked directly into his eyes as he elaborated.

“You don’t care how other people see you. You’re always free. Me… I’ve always had to wear a mask.”

Furrowing his brows, Akira closed his notebook and set it aside, giving Goro his undivided attention as he continued to speak.

“Growing up, I felt like I had to be the epitome of perfection. My mother was a single parent who worked long nights in a nightclub just to provide for me. So, instead of being a kid and living life carefree, I was always on my best behavior. I didn’t want to cause her any unnecessary stress.”

Akira noticed the way his hands tightened into fists but continued to listen.

“After she died, and I was forced into the foster care system, I still had to keep up appearances. I had to be a desirable child, somebody someone would want to adopt, somebody someone would want around.”

Chewing on his bottom lip, Akira watched as Goro’s eyes grew red.

“By my 16th birthday, I knew no one was ever going to want me. At this point, I probably could have let my mask slip but for some reason, I kept it on. I kept trying. Even now, I’m constantly trying to maintain my grades, my public image, everything. But with no one else to impress, I don’t know why I’m still exhausting myself like this. It’s almost like wearing a mask is a part of my character, at this point.”

A silent tear had fallen from Goro’s eyes, but his face remained still, like he didn’t even notice it.

“As embarrassing is it is to admit, I look at you, Akira, and I’m envious.”

“Goro…” Akira spoke sadly but before he could continue, Akechi held up a finger.

“Now, don’t you look at me like that. I turned out quite well given the circumstances.”

“But—”

“I’m… still learning to be myself. I just need… time.”

Akira looked at Goro, whose eyes were now downcast. He placed a hand on his own to gain his attention.

“I hope that one day… you can always be yourself… so you don’t have to feel so tired anymore.”

A lump formed in Goro’s throat, causing him to remain quiet for fear of crying. Instead, he just turned his hand over and gave Akira’s a little squeeze, a silent ‘thank you.’ Akira smiled.

“And I’ll be there to help you every step of the way.”

***

When Goro finally opened his eyes, he sat up quickly, confusion clouding his mind before he finally remembered where he was. He was in Akira’s room, in Akira’s bed, in Akira’s arms. _Wait, what?!_

He shuffled across the bed and out of Akira’s reach.

“You okay?” Akira asked sleepily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“I’m… fine,” He looked out the window to find that the sun had already set, “What time is it?”

Akira reached for his phone on the windowsill and checked the time, “It’s almost nine.”

He blinked a few times as his memory began coming back to him.

As much as he tried not to, he cried. He cried harder than he ever had in front of another person. He couldn’t explain why but there was something about Akira that caused him to say exactly what he felt whenever they spoke.

The entire ordeal was _exhausting_. Akira had seen how tired he was and offered his bed to him to rest. He accepted his offer and nodded off as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He looked at the empty coffee mug on the windowsill. Maybe he _shouldn’t_ have asked for decaf.

Goro sighed. Well, that answered one of his questions. As for the other…

“When did you end up falling asleep?”

“I don’t remember,” Akira yawned, “Probably not long after you did. Seeing you so comfortable must’ve made me tired.”

“So, you decided to sleep in the same bed as me?”

“I don’t think I _decided_ anything,” He adjusted the glasses that were still on his face. If he hadn’t taken off his glasses, that meant he must’ve dozed off without realizing it, “Sorry about the cuddling, by the way. Sleeping with Morgana over the years has made me super snuggly.”

Akechi stared at him before finally chuckling, placing his head in his hands, “I’ve got some nerve, crying in front of you and then just falling asleep in your bed.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to know you trust me that much.”

They looked at each other then laughed. Akechi rose to his feet and smoothed out his clothes with his hands, “I should get going before it gets _too_ late.”

“Want me to walk you to the station?” Akira sat up.

Goro shook his head, “There’s no need. I’ll text you once I arrive safely at my house.”

“Okay,” Akira nodded. His heart ached as he watched Goro cross his room toward the stairs, “Goodnight, Goro.”

He turned to him and smiled, “Goodnight, Akira.”

***

**Akechi (10:38 PM):** Sorry to bother you so late, but I was wondering...

**Akechi (10:38 PM):** Would you happen to know when Akira’s birthday is?

**Okumura (10:39 PM):** It’s September 15th. Why?

**Akechi (10:40 PM):** I was just curious. Thank you. Goodnight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the mini hiatus. I've been really busy with work.
> 
> Anyways, someone commented that they wouldn't mind a scene involving a fireworks show so uh... here you go. :3
> 
> Fair warning: I *do* allude to Kasumi from P5R this chapter but I WON'T be diving into P5R spoiler territory in this fic, okay? So, no need to worry.
> 
> Songs used in this chapter:  
> "Shut Up and Dance" by WALK THE MOON

“Sorry, I’m late, guys.”

All eyes were on Akira as he burst through the door of the studio, twenty minutes late for their rehearsal.

“Well, it took ya long enough!” Ryuji threw his hands in the air.

“You _do_ realize we have a show tomorrow, correct?” Makoto questioned, her hands on her hips. She tapped her foot on the ground expectantly, waiting for a good explanation.

Goro tore his eyes away from his bass guitar, which he had been idly strumming to pass the time, and he looked around at everyone in the room. They were all looking at Akira with varying levels of annoyance on their faces.

Haru met him at the door and spoke cordially to him, “Akira, I understand we don’t need a lot of practice with how we sound, but it’s still common courtesy to arrive at rehearsal on time the night before a performance.”

Akira sighed defeatedly, “I know, I just…” He held up a large plastic bag that he had been lugging around, “I brought gifts.”

Futaba, Ryuji, and Yusuke practically leapt out of their seats at the mention of ‘gifts.’

“Ooh! What’d ya get?!”

“Gimme, gimme!”

“Let me see!”

With how frantically they were grabbing at the bag, Akira had no choice but to let the three snatch it out of his hands. He watched them rifle through it excitedly. When they finally realized what the contents of it were, Ryuji was the first to shout:

“Aw, sick, dude! Fireworks!!”

 _That_ got everyone’s attention. The rest of the band rushed over toward the bag. Well… apart from Goro, who saw a hint of discomfort on Akira’s face as his friends crowded around in front of him. Goro’s brows furrowed. His back was pressed against the door. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to hang up his keys yet.

“I felt really bad about our fireworks festival getting rained out last weekend, so when I saw these on sale over on Central Street on the way here, I figured I would pick some up for you guys,” Akira scratched at the back of his neck.

“I thought you said you were broke,” Ann questioned, examining a small box of bang-snaps.

He shrugged, laughing nervously, “It’s no big deal.”

“Thank you so much for all of this,” Makoto smile, not looking up from the instructions printed on the side of a mini firecracker.

Akira fidgeted with his hair, looking around for an escape from the crowd of his friends in front of him. When he found none, he bit his lip, “It’s whatever. My initial plan was that we could go outside and set these off before rehearsal started but I wasn’t planning on being this late.”

Haru clapped her hands together and beamed, “That sounds like a wonderful idea!”

“Atta girl, Haru!” Ryuji pumped his fist, “Let’s get out there!”

And just like that, they all began to leave, rushing down the stairs with the fireworks in their hands. Akira quickly stepped aside, granting them enough space to exit. When he heard the door to the apartment complex slam closed, he let out the breath he was holding.

Before he followed them, he turned his attention to Goro, who hadn’t moved from his stool.

“Are you coming?”

“How much did you spend on all that?”

Akira waved his hand, “Don’t worry about it. It was a gift.”

“It’s irresponsible to purchase gifts when you can’t afford them, Akira. Don’t you—”

Rolling his eyes, Akira crossed the room and grabbed Goro by the hand, effectively shutting him up, “Come on, they’re all waiting for us.”

He pulled Goro out of his seat and allowed him to set down his bass in its stand before dragging him toward the door. Once they were outside, they found the rest of the Phantom Thieves already gathered in the driveway.

“Ooh! Look it, Inari! Sparklers!” Futaba chuckled in Yusuke’s direction.

“For the last time, stop calling me that!”

“Damn it,” Ryuji cursed loudly, “Did anyone think to bring a lighter?”

Akira’s eyes flickered toward Goro. With a frown, Goro hesitantly reached into his pocket and pulled out the lighter he always carried with him, just in case.

“I have one right here, Sakamoto…”

Ryuji perked up and approached him, “You’re a life-saver, dude!” He patted Akechi on the back, a bit too hard for his taste, and plucked the lighter from his hands, “Also, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Ryuji?”

“My apologies,” Goro mumbled, voice small. When Ryuji finally turned his attention away from him, he turned and sat down on the curb closest to the entrance of the apartment complex, distancing himself from the group as they began passing around his lighter to ignite their sparklers.

“Ann, lemme see your sparkler for a sec… Drum solo!” Ryuji shouted, banging two sparklers against the pavement.

“Stop it, Ryuji! You’re going to break them!” Ann scolded him.

“Hey, Inari, can you guess what I’m drawing?” Futaba asked, her voice mischievous as she waved her sparkler in the air like a paintbrush.

Yusuke cupped his chin pensively, “Hm… A cat of some sort…? Morgana perhaps…?”

“Wrong! I’m drawing a butt!” She then erupted into a fit of laughter to Yusuke’s dismay.

Morgana scowled at Yusuke nearby for daring to mistake the two.

“Look, Makoto, I’m going to sign my name!” Haru giggled, signing her first and last name in the sky with her own sparkler.

“Watch the tree, Haru!” Makoto warned with a laugh as her sparkler neared some low-hanging leaves on the nearby tree.

There was something about watching the Phantom Thieves’ child-like wonder as they played around with small colorful explosives without a care in the world that caused a small smile to tug on the corner of Goro’s mouth. He bit his lip to conceal it and casted his eyes toward the ground.

He was completely fine being alone… even if they all looked like they were having a lot of fun.

Just then, a hand holding a thin wire appeared in his line of sight. His eyes followed the arm up to find Akira before him with a polite smile on his face. He pulled out Goro’s lighter from his pocket and extended the sparkler toward him, insisting he take it without a word.

“Oh… No, thank you,” Goro shook his head, pursing his lips.

“Goro…” Akira tisked before grabbing his hand and forcing him to hold onto the sparkler. Once he was sure he wasn’t going to drop it, he used the lighter to ignite it, their faces lighting up as the sparkler came to life.

Goro instinctively swirled it around in the sky, watching it in awe. Another smile threatened to grow on his face but he wouldn’t let it. He just watched the flame flicker. He could definitely see the appeal…

But something didn’t feel right.

He looked around once more. Everyone had a sparkler. Everyone except…

“Wait, did you not get one?” He asked Akira, brows furrowed in concern.

Akira shifted on his feet and adjusted his glasses to conceal his blushing face, “Don’t worry about me. You have fun, okay?”

“But you—”

“Goro, seriously, it’s fine,” He let out a light-hearted laugh.

But Goro wasn’t satisfied. He tightened his jaw and shook his head, shoving the sparkler in Akira’s direction without getting too close with the flame.

“Take it.”

“No.”

“Akira, I don’t even care for fireworks. You spent the last of your money on these now take it.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest like a stubborn child and looked away, “I said no.”

Exhaling through his nose, Goro resigned, “At least, sit down and share this with me.”

Akira laughed, “How do you _share_ a sparkler with someone?”

“We can both hold it. Now, sit. Quickly, before it burns out.”

Rolling his eyes, Akira eventually obliged, taking a seat on the curb beside Goro and placing his hand over his on the handheld firework. There wasn’t any room for space between them.

“…This is stupid,” Akira grumbled, blushing.

Goro ignored that statement. He agreed, sharing a sparkler like they were was stupid. But he wasn’t about to give Akira the satisfaction of agreeing with him, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re too selfless for your own good?”

Akira shrugged, “Not really.”

“That’s because they don’t see all the good you do for others at your own expense.”

He could feel Akira’s eyes on him but he kept his own eyes forward, on Akira’s hand over his own. His toes danced involuntarily in his shoes at the sight.

“You’re the only one who’s getting upset about this.”

Goro scoffed, “Well, somebody has to.”

They went silent, allowing the conversation to end. For a while, they just held the sparkler between them. Goro watched as Akira idly waved their hands around, drawing a star in the sky. Goro sniffed a small laugh and responded by drawing a heart in return.

Eventually, Akira broke the silence between them.

“Lovely weather we’re having.”

Akechi looked up at the sky, then back at Akira, puzzled by the random statement. Sure, the weather was comfortable but nothing noteworthy. He tilted his head in confusion. _What_?

Shrugging once more, Akira continued, “Hey, just trying to _spark_ up a conversation.”

Goro’s curious expression fell as he deadpanned at his friend, who had burst into a fit of laughter. He wasn’t sure what was more pathetic, the joke he just made or the fact that he was the only one laughing at it.

“Really? Is that what we’re doing now?”

“H-Hey, I saw my chance and I took it,” He wiped a tear away from his eye with his free hand and reached into his pocket, “Besides, just sitting here holding this thing doesn’t really light my _fire_ ,” He withdrew Goro’s lighter from his pocket and ignited it.

Yet again, Akira began laughing at his own pun. Goro face-palmed.

“Please stop.”

“Come on, I think you need to,” He shook their hands, causing Goro to look at the sparkler, then back at him just in time for him to deliver his punchline, “ _lighten_ up.”

“This is so embarrassing, Akira, please…” Goro pleaded.

But to his dismay, he continued anyways, “Y’know, the fact that you won’t laugh at my jokes really _burns_ me.”

“I’m going back inside.”

Goro tried to rise to his feet but Akira’s hand on his kept him seated on the curb right next to him.

“Come on, not even a chuckle…?” He was looking at Goro with a pout. Akechi turned his head, trying his best to look away but Akira moved with him, keeping a close eye on his face, “I can see it. You want to smile, just admit it.”

“Just because I’m smiling, doesn’t mean your silly jokes are funny.”

“But you’re having fun?”

The question caught Goro by surprise. He pauses, thinking of what to say. When he had an answer, he looked into Akira’s eyes and sighed.

“…I am.”

“I’m glad.”

Their sparkler fizzled out, leaving them in the dark of the night. Lowering their arms, they remained seated beside one another, holding the burnt wire in their hands.

If it weren’t for their friends’ chatter and laughter, it would have been completely quiet.

Goro eventually heard a yawn, followed by the sensation of a head resting on his shoulder. He glanced down at Akira and opened his mouth to speak. But when he saw his eyes closed and his lips curl upward into a smile, he thought twice about it.

Instead, he chose to cast his gaze toward the sky, eyes landing on the moon above them.

Suddenly, all his troubles seemed very distant. His troubling past felt so far away. The anxiety he felt regarding tomorrow’s show, how he’d look, how he’d sound, it all faded. He didn’t even feel the urge to smoke for the first time in a week.

All that was on his mind now was the present: The clear sky, the sound of joy and laughter, Akira.

Goro took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth, allowing himself to cherish the moment.

Everything felt… okay.

…He smiled too.

“Crap, where’d that lighter go?” Ryuji’s voice borderline shouted.

“You lost it already?!” replied Ann just as loudly.

“I didn’t _lose_ it! I just… don’t know where it is…” He scratched the back of his neck.

And just like that, the moment of peace was over. Akira lifted his head and held up the lighter for Ryuji to see, “Right here!”

When Ryuji approached the two to grab the lighter, he noticed the way they were both sitting beside each other, holding the burnt-out sparkler in their hands.

“Wait, did you guys share a sparkler or something?”

Goro blushed and pulled his hand away from Akira’s, spacing their bodies apart. Akira spoke before he could even muster a response.

“Yeah, there was only one left.”

Ryuji tilted his head, “How do you even _share_ a sparkler?”

“That’s what I was wondering, but it worked.”

Shrugging, Ryuji accepted that response for what it was, “I guess so. Yo, Akira, didja wanna help me light up these other fireworks?”

“Uh…” Biting his lip, Akira looked at Goro, then back to his friend before deciding, “Nah, you go have fun. I’ll just watch.”

“What about you?” He asked Goro next.

And just like Akira had done previously, he scrambled his brain, looking for something to say, “N… No, thank you. I don’t really like fireworks…”

Rolling his eyes, Ryuji turned on his heal, “You guys are lame!” He remarked playfully as he walked away to prepare more fireworks.

Goro slumped. _There I go again, doing a terrible job at fitting in_ , he thought to himself.

Akira scooted closer once more and threw an arm over his shoulder, “Hey, don’t worry about it,” He spoke as if he heard him think.

“You could have joined them, you know?”

“I didn’t want to.”

“I’m fine with being alone.”

“Yeah, well, I’m fine with being alone with you.”

Scoffing, Goro shook his head. He shrugged Akira’s arm off him and rose to his feet, “I think I’m going back inside now.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded, “Like I said, fireworks don’t really hold my interest. Besides, I’d like to get a head-start on rehearsal, if that’s alright with you. This _is_ only my second show.”

Akira looked at the ground, “…Okay.”

Goro offered him a sorry smile as though he could see it and left him behind, heading back upstairs to their studio. Even though he was inside, and all the doors and windows were closed, he could still hear the faint sound of laughter as well as the popping of small fireworks.

He sniffed a tiny laugh and proceeded preparing himself for rehearsal. He propped some pages of sheet music up on a nearby music-stand and adjusted it so that he could easily read from it from his usual stool.

Grabbing his bass guitar from its stand, he pulled it over his body, adjusting the strap until he was comfortable. He began tuning according to the song he had prepared on the stand. He cracked his knuckles and started mindlessly strumming. He kept tempo with the tap of his foot on the ground.

Between the sound of fireworks and his own playing, he didn’t hear another set of footsteps climbing the stairs until the door opened. He looked up to see who had joined him.

“I’m not crazy about fireworks either,” Akira spoke, casually pulling up a stool and sitting across from Goro, “Too loud.”

Goro chuckled, “Says the lead singer of a rock band.”

Akira ignored him, “What are you practicing anyways?” He turned the music stand so that they both could see it, “Ah, I see. Mind if I join you?”

He gestured for him to lead the way. Smiling, Akira began to sing, patting along to the beat on his thigh.

“’ _Oh, don’t you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me.’ I said, ‘You’re holding back.’ She said, ‘Shut up and dance with me.’ This woman is my destiny. She said, ‘Ooh, hoo… Shut up and dance with me.’_ ”

As he sang through the chorus, Goro played steadily in the background. But as the song transitioned into the first verse, he strummed his riff a bit louder. When Akira sang, he looked up at him. Even practicing alone with him, he looked like he was having the time of his life.

“ _We were victims of the night, the chemical, physical kryptonite! Helpless to the bass and the fading light. Oh, we were bound to get together, bound to get together…!_ ”

When the song shifted into the pre-chorus, Goro smiled. Over the course of the couple months he had been with the Phantom Thieves, he found he quite liked how any given song swelled as it prepared for the chorus. He could feel each note tugging at his heart.

“ _She took my arm. I don’t know how it happened. We took the floor and she said… ‘Oh, don’t you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me…’_ ”

Moving through the chorus, then the second verse, Goro found himself smiling more and more. He could truly watch Akira perform all day. It was almost as though he were born to tell stories through song. It was truly magnificent.

“ _A backless dress and some beat up sneaks, my discotheque Juliet, teenage dream. I felt it in my chest when she looked at me: I knew we were bound to be together, bound to be together…_ ”

Running through the chorus once more, they arrived at the instrumental section. As usual, Goro’s eyes fell to his bass, trying his best not to miss any notes. However, before he even finished, he felt Akira’s knuckle beneath his chin, tilting his head up to look at him. He gestured with two fingers, pointing to Goro’s eyes, then his own. _Eyes up_.

Blushing, Goro nodded. He was trying too hard to be perfect… again. He needed to relax, _feel_ the music, like they had talked about multiple times over the course of their rehearsals.

When the instrumental solo ended and the bridge stopped, Akira held up a thumbs-up and began to sing again, “ _Deep in her eyes, I think I see a future. I realize, this is my last chance. She took my arm. I don’t know how it happened. We took the floor and she said…_ ”

Their volume fell as the chorus began again. Akira’s voice was merely a hush. But when it came time for the chorus to loop, they crescendoed. Goro chimed in with some background harmonies as he followed Akira to the end of the song.

When they wrapped, Akira applauded, bouncing excitedly in his seat.

“The audience won’t know what hit them tomorrow!” He exclaimed.

Goro laughed and tucked a bit of hair behind his ear.

“I must admit, out of all the Phantom Thieves’ songs, this one might just be my favorite. Ann truly outdid herself writing it.”

Akira cleared his throat and shrunk himself, running his fingers through his hair, “Actually, Ann didn’t write this one… I did.”

Blinking at him, Goro’s lips parted. He then tilted his head in confusion, eyebrows knitted together, “Really? I figured love songs like that were more Ann’s speed.”

Akira shrugged, “I can write a good love song when inspiration strikes sometimes.”

Akechi tilted his head to the other side like a puppy, “Inspiration?”

“I wrote it about some girl I knew back in high school,” Akira nodded as he began explaining the song’s origins, “She was a gymnast, a little red-head with more energy than I knew what to do with… But I liked her. And I guess she liked me too because we even dated for a little while,” He continued with a nervous laugh, “But eventually, we went our separate ways when she continued pursuing a career in gymnastics. I was happy for her, of course, but I was still sad to see her go. So… I decided to memorialize what we had in this song.”

As Akira spoke, Goro felt a strange discomfort grow in his chest. It resembled the same sickening sensation he felt whenever another orphan in his foster home got adopted over him. Or whenever he wasn’t the one to receive the highest grade in a class.

Although a part of him wanted to end this conversation, he still felt the need to ask, “Do you still keep in contact with this girl?”

“Sometimes,” Akira answered, “I see her whenever she stops by to visit family every once in a while, but that’s about it. I probably only see her a couple times a year.”

The discomfort in Goro’s chest grew. It burned like acid. He winced and shifted in his seat. As uncomfortable as he felt, he still didn’t change the subject. For some sick reason, he needed to know: “Does she know this song is about her?”

“She didn’t know for a while but eventually I told her about it, yeah.”

Goro had to look away. It hurt to swallow. _Why? Why do I feel like this? Surely, I’m not coming down with something the night before a show._

As much as he wanted to change the subject, perhaps lay down and rest a bit before rehearsal started, his words betrayed him, “You know… Just by looking at you, I wouldn’t expect you’d be into athletic girls.”

Akira laughed lightheartedly, “I wouldn’t say I’m ‘ _into’_ any particular type of person,” He held up air-quotes, “I just… like who I like.

“Ah.”

And with that single syllable, Goro sighed, hoping the conversation was finally finished. But Akira continued, to his chagrin.

“Well, what about you? What’s your type?”

Goro choked, face turning red. When he looked up at Akira, he was smirking at him. _Bastard_.

“I… I don’t know… I’ve never been interested in… any of that.”

“You’ve never had a girlfriend?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Goro voice escalated in volume as he defended himself, “W-Well, I’ve been out with plenty of girls but I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’ve thought of any of them as my _girlfriends_ ,” The last word felt like venom on his tongue.

“That’s cold, Goro.”

Goro scoffed, offended, “’ _Cold_ ’ would be leading them on when I didn’t feel a connection with them. I would argue I’m quite the gentleman around women.”

“Okay, sure. You were never really into the girls you dated,” Goro _wished_ Akira would have stopped himself there, “But have you ever liked anyone?”

A pause.

“No.”

“Bullshit.”

“I told you what my life was like growing up! I didn’t have time for petty romance!” It wasn’t until after he finished his sentence that he had realized he was now on his feet. He sat back down, blushing.

“You don’t have to like someone romantically to think they’re hot,” Akira responded nonchalantly.

He shook his head, “You’re unbelievable.”

Akira had to laugh, “What?! It’s true! I mean, didn't you say you thought I was hot once?”

Goro nearly fell out of his seat, “Excuse me?!”

“You totally did. In the car, on our way to your first gig, you told me I was hot.”

Mouth agape, Goro stared at him incredulously, “Only after you _insisted_ I stroke your over-inflated ego! And for your information, I said you looked ‘good,’ _not_ ‘hot.’”

He looked at him as if looking through him, “If you say so, Goro.”

“Oh, you’re _definitely_ in one of your moods again, aren’t you?”

Clapping his hands together, Akira shouted, “Tomorrow’s showtime!”

“I am aware, which is why,” Goro turned his gaze toward the window and sighed, “I wish they’d wrap up their fun so we can begin rehearsing already.”

“Meh,” shrugged Akira, “I’m fine with being alone with you,” He repeated his earlier sentiment.

Goro turned his head, making eye-contact with him once more. He parted his lips and held his bass guitar close to himself, his throat dry.

Akira was smiling at him.

“You—”

He was interrupted by a particularly loud boom. The room lit up as a large firework shot off in the sky outside the window of the studio. Akira and Goro rose to their feet and approached the window in unison.

Akira watched the fireworks.

Goro watched Akira.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't seen it already, AO3 user antiagonally wrote a little fic inspired by 'harmonia' called 'crescendo' and it's super super SUPER good!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [crescendo](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25881577) by [antiagonally](https://archiveofourown.org/users/antiagonally/pseuds/antiagonally)




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